Fear
by Tail Kinker
Summary: Shinji arrives in Tokyo3 to see his father for the first time since his mother drowned and to meet his new fiancee. He is not pleased about being engaged against his will, but this pales when he discovers the role he has been selected to fill...
1. Look To The Sky

_**Disclaimer**_

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing; Byatis was created by Robert Bloch._

* * *

"Release me!"

Ikari Yui grabbed the uniformed man's wrist, and bent it backward until the bone cracked. A second guard tackled her about the waist; she brought her fist down on his skull, caving his skull in and dropping him lifeless to the ground. She turned and ran towards the water.

"Mommy!" Shinji twisted in his father's grip, but the man was far too strong for a five-year-old to break free.

"Let her go, Shinji. She's not your mother anymore."

Shinji stopped struggling, and watched as his mother dove headfirst into the waves. He waited, watching for her to surface, for long minutes, before turning and burying his face into his father's jacket.

Only to be shoved away, tripping and falling. He looked up at his father's cold eyes, and shivered.

"Never come back, Yui..."

- - - - -

**Tail Kinker Presents **

**Fear **

**Chapter One **

**Look To The Sky **

- - - - -

"Five minutes to Tokyo-3 Station. All passengers, please ensure that your luggage is ready and prepare to de-train."

The announcement brought Shinji to wakefulness. He flipped off his S-DAT, and grabbed his brown canvas bag. He unzipped it, and pulled out an envelope.

The letter had arrived quite unexpectedly; only once since his mother had drowned had his father communicated with him. This time, it looked to be just as messed up.

_What a stupid idea this was. Why would my father, or her parents, arrange an engagement for me? She must be a real freak if her parents had to resort to an arranged marriage._

The letter had had two photographs paper-clipped to it; he had removed them in the course of trying to figure out what was on his father's mind. He looked down at the first one now.

The girl didn't look at all bad; if it wasn't for the expression on her face, she might even be cute. The angular lines of her face were offset by the mop of pale blue hair. From the colour of her hair, her pale complexion, and her eyes, he figured she had to be an albino. The red eyes were more than a bit disturbing, but the really scary part was her expression.

Or rather, her complete lack of expression. She almost looked bored, but even 'bored' was too strong an emotion to assign to the face in the picture.

He shuffled the second photograph to the top. The woman in this photo was visibly more animated than his 'fiancee'. A tall, leggy woman, wearing a loose top and leaning towards the camera, placing her not inconsiderable assets on display. Just in case the viewer was completely oblivious, she'd drawn an arrow on the photo, pointing at her cleavage and labelled 'Look here!'

He flipped the photo over, and read the words written on the back.

'Hi! I'm Misato Katsuragi, and I'll be picking you up from the train station! Aren't you the lucky one?'

_Yeah. Lucky me._

The brakes screeched like a tortured cat, and the train ground to a halt. The doors slid open, and Shinji stepped hesistantly out onto the platform.

The deserted platform. Not only was this Misato person not here to meet him, but there was not another living soul anywhere in the station. He jumped as the train's whistle sounded, and turned to watch as it pulled out of the station. And sighed. He pulled out the letter again, and glanced at the letterhead.

He kept the hundred yen coin in his pocket for emergencies. At the moment, he was stranded in a city that he didn't know at all, in a deserted train station, with no ride to wherever he was supposed to go, and his only line of retreat had just rattled out of town. If this didn't qualify as an emergency, he had no idea just what would. He dropped the coin into the pay phone and dialled the telephone number listed in the letterhead.

'Due to the current emergency, no line is available to complete your call. We do apologize for the inconvenience.'

The machine dutifully spat out the hundred-yen coin, and he collected it mechanically.

_At least my emergency isn't the only one._

He looked around the station again. The wires hanging tiredly overhead were heavier than in most towns, and he could only assume that whatever this city was using them for, it was more than just telephone and video signals. Massive transformers sat atop the poles, much heavier again that he was used to seeing. And not a person moved in sight, nor were there any cars. In fact, he couldn't hear even the slightest sound.

It was as if the entire city was dead.

Then abruptly, there was too much sound.

The four tilt-wing aircraft were flying far too low. One paused overhead, swinging its engines to hover directly overtop of him. The downblast of the jets nearly knocked him over, and he clung to the pay phone to keep his balance. The deep roar of the engines found a counterpart in the snarl of rockets, as the VTOL rippled off a salvo of missiles. He couldn't see what they were firing at, but heard and felt the rumble as they detonated.

But he did see a tank, as it was launched into the aircraft. The VTOL's wing was ripped off, and it started spiralling downward. He turned and ran as fast as he could, as the VTOL smashed into a nearby building. The blast as its fuel cells exploded propelled him bodily across the deserted parking lot.

A blue sports car came to a brake-screeching halt inches from his head. The passenger-side door popped open, aand a voice yelled at him from within.

"Sorry I'm late. Get in, quick!"

He needed no prompting, and scrambled into the car, slamming the door shut behind him. The driver - he realized it was the woman from the photo, Misato - stood on the gas pedal and peeled out.

"Jesus, they're taking a pounding." Misato shifted gears as they pulled out. "Don't look at it, whatever you do."

"Don't look at what?" He craned his neck to look out the back window...and froze.

The VTOLs were still firing rockets, but a massive form strode through the smoke and flame, obviously unhurt. It walked on four segmented legs, and in one crablike claw it carried a bus. Its head was a deformed mass of tissue, one eye glaring balefully from the center. A writhing mass of tentacles, each as thick as a man, hung like a beard beneath the eye.

A scream forced itself from his throat.

"Oh, shit. Eyes front, kid. I told you not to look." Misato was keeping her eyes fixed forward. "The very sight of that thing can drive a person mad."

"No kidding." Shinji dragged his eyes forward. "What the hell is it?"

"It's the enemy. Your father calls them the Old Ones."

- - - - -

"All artillery and rocket units have proven ineffective."

The General slammed his fist down on the table, causing the overflowing ashtray to bounce and disgorge its contents all over the surface. "What do we have that might affect it? The laser cannons?"

"Not yet operational, and I'm not sure that it'd work anyway." The Colonel shook his head. "Most of the weapons we've hit it with pack more punch than the lasers."

"Conventional weapons are of no use against the Old Ones."

The General glared at the interruption. "And I'm certain you believe that your _toy _can stop it?"

"Only my _toy, _as you put it, has any chance at all."

"I don't think so, Ikari. We've still got one trump card left." He glanced over at the Colonel. "Launch the B-2. We'll hit it with the N2 Mine."

Ikari adjusted his glasses, and turned back to the monitor.

- - - - -

Misato stood on the brake pedal, and gaped at the black form moving overhead.

"They can't be...Oh, shit, they are." She grabbed Shinji, forcing his head down. "Shield your eyes!"

The world turned white.

All Shinji knew was that the car was tumbling along its side. When his world stopped spinning, he hazarded a look, and realized that the car was on its side. Misato was suspended above him by her seat belt, looking dazed.

"What was that?"

"N2 Mine. A boosted thermonuclear warhead." She fought with the buckle. "Gimme a hand with this, and we'll get the car back on its wheels."

- - - - -

"Got it!"

The table full of brass jumped to its feet. Around them, dust was falling from cracks in the ceiling, and the lamps overhead were swinging wildly.

"EMP has knocked out telemetry. Circuits will be restored in thirty seconds."

Ikari kept silent, staring at the screen.

The Colonel raised a defiant fist. "Do _not_ mess with the JSSDF!"

"Visual contact re-established."

The screen cleared, to show the monster in the middle of the blast crater. Still intact.

The General sat down, dismayed. "That was our trump card..."

The Colonel shook his head. "Looks like he over-trumped us."

The Brigadier collapsed into his chair. "Gentlemen, we have no weapon in our arsenal more powerful than an N2 Mine."

"You're right." The General glanced over at Ikari. "It's in your hands now."

"Do we have authorization from the JSSDF to deploy?"

"Yes." The General pulled a notebook from his pocket, and scrawled on it. "Here. Written and signed. Deploy."

"Thank you." Ikari turned to his assistant. "Fuyutsuki. Prepare Unit 01."

"We don't have a pilot yet." Fuyutsuki watched as Ikari turned and walked towards the elevator.

"One is on his way."

- - - - -

Misato stared at the map and pursed her lips. She glanced over at Shinji, then inverted the map.

"Now you are holding it upside-down."

"I was afraid of that." She folded the map back up and stuffed it into her purse. "I hate to admit it, but I don't really know this base as well as I should."

"I can tell."

"Well, all systems exist to be used, right?" She laughed.

Shinji looked pointedly at a telephone mounted on the wall. "Maybe you should use this system over here, and call someone who knows where they're going."

- - - - -

"Paging Dr. Akagi. Line fourteen internal."

Ritsuko set her breath mask down on the deck, and pulled herself out of the pool. "Since Misato is late, I can assume that's her."

- - - - -

"I have a good feeling about this door."

Shinji sighed. "You've said that for the last four doors. Maybe we should wait for this Dr. Akagi to find us."

"Don't worry, I can get us out of--"

The door opened suddenly, to reveal a tall blonde woman. She wore a bathing suit with a lab coat thrown over it, but managed not to look terribly silly. The look that she gave Misato was one of long-suffering amusement.

"Lost again?"

"Well...we were on the right track, right?" Misato laughed. "After all, we caught up with you."

"You were considerably off track, and I had to double back to catch up with you." She glanced over at Shinji. "Is this him?"

"Yes."

"Good we're running out of time." She turned and strolled briskly down the corridor. "Commander Ikari has ordered the activation of Unit 01."

"Really?" Misato had to hurry to keep up with the taller woman. "What are the odds it will work?"

"The latest calibrations give it a 0.0000000001 chance of working." She smirked. "Zero-Nine might be a good name for it."

"So we're done for, is what you're telling me?"

"Don't be rude." Dr. Akagi tossed her a cold look. "I didn't say the odds were zero."

- - - - -

The doors closed behind them, plunging them into total darkness.

"It's pitch black in here." Shinji rubbed the gooseflesh on his arms. "I can't see a thing."

The lights switched on.

Shinji found himself facing a monster. He yelled, and took a step back, only to meet Misato's hand. She said something about a bridge, but he could only stare at the beast in front of him.

It was covered in purple armour of some sort. The head was flared out at the base, and a single horn projected from its forehead. Two eyes, dark and closed, sat beneath armoured ridges, and its teeth appeared to be made of solid steel.

It took a moment for it to sink in that this was not a creature, but a machine.

"What the hell is that?"

"NERV's Armoured Humanoid All-Purpose Fighting Machine. Code- named EVANGELION." Dr. Akagi looked up at the robot. "We still don't understand half of the technology that went into this creation. It is your father's greatest work."

Shinji took a hesitant step towards it. "Does it need a pilot?"

Before Dr. Akagi could answer him, a voice floated down from above.

"Yes. It does."

Shinji looked up, to see his father. He stood in a small observation deck, about fifteen feet above the bridge.

"Good to see you again, son." He smiled down warmly at the boy.

Shinji blinked.

"I'm glad that you have decided to join us today." He held a hand out towards the Evangelion. "But our time is limited. The Old One approaches, and must be stopped. I need you to pilot this machine."

"Pilot--" Shinji looked up at the robot. "You've got to be kidding me! I haven't had any training, I never even saw it before five seconds ago. I can't drive this!"

The building shook beneath his feet, waves forming in the liquid around the bridge.

"You feel that?" Gendo pointed upwards. "The Old One has found us. And unless you do something about this, it is going to destroy everyone here. Only you can stop it."

"That's insane!" Shinji shook his head. "There's no way I can do this."

"Unfortunate." Gendo looked down. "I was hoping that you were ready to be a man." He turned, and addressed someone through communications device.

"He's too much of a coward. You'll need to wake up Rei."

"Will she be of any use?"

Gendo glanced down at Shinji. "At least she isn't pissing herself in terror."

Shinji scowled down at the deck.

The doors at the far end of the bridge opened again, and two people wheeled in a gurney. A plasma bag was suspended from the gurney's rack. As the gurney approached, Shinji realized with some surprise that its occupant was the albino girl from his photograph.

He turned back to his father. "You're gonna make her drive it?"

"Since you are too much of a coward, yes."

He looked back at the girl. One eye was covered with a bandage, and her abdomen was completely wrapped. One arm was splinted tightly.

"She can't! Look at her."

"Be quiet. You had your say."

The room shook again, and the gurney tipped over, dumping the girl on the deck. Shinji ran up to her, alarmed. He reached down to touch her, and she shied away.

"No!" She shook her head, fear showing in her one good eye. She took a wild swing in his direction with her hand, and he pulled back. "No! Don't touch me!"

"I'm not going to hurt you." He reached forward again, but she rolled over, shivering, away from his touch. He knelt down and put his hand on her shoulder.

She screamed. Just once, a short yelp like a kicked puppy, and he snatch his hand back as though it had been burned.

Shinji stood slowly, and turned again to his father. "This girl is Rei? And she's the girl you engaged to me?"

"Yes"

He squeezed his eyes shut. _I can't do this. I don't know how._ He thought of the girl. _But if I run now, I'll be proving I'm a coward. _She_ will think I'm a coward._

"Bastard." He spat the word, for once forgetting his fear of his father. "I'll do it."

Gendo smiled.

- - - - -

His misgivings returned when they sealed the tube, locking him in pitch blackness.

_What the hell am I thinking? I don't know jack squat about piloting giant robots._ He nervously fingered the clips they'd put in his hair. _And going out to do battle with some evil monster that can take a nuke hit and keep going? I must have been out of my mind._

Lights switched on in the tube, and liquid of some sort started rushing into the compartment.

"Guys, this tube is filling with water or something."

"Don't worry." Dr. Akagi's voice was not reassuring, but he grasped at the words. "The Link Connection Liquid will oxegenate your blood directly, and help absorb impacts."

"But it's..." He watched in horror as the liquid reached his knees. "I'm gonna drown in here! Help!"

"Be a man!" Misato's voice reached him.

"No! I've changed--Help! Open this fucking thing!" He clawed at the hatch, but it was sealed tightly from the outside. "OPEN IT!" The liquid reached his neck, and he scrabbled up onto the top of the seat. "I'm gonna drown!"

"Calm down, Shinji. You breathed liquid for the first nine months of your life."

"NO!"

The liquid washed over his head. He held his breath until his lungs burned, then gasped. He coughed, choking as the liquid filled his lungs, but somehow, he was still able to breathe. The liquid smelled and tasted vile, but he could breathe.

"Sit down. We're going to start the activation."

His heart still pounding in his chest, he sat back down in the seat. The tube flooded with colours.

"Set command interface to Japanese. A20 Nerve link established."

The sides of the plug glowed, and cleared, to show his surroundings.

"Thirty-nine percent sync rate. That's a lot better than we expected," said Dr. Akagi. "Release the locks."

There was a dull thud from outside, and Shinji felt something on his arms, as though someone had been grasping them and had just released them. Then he shifted, as the EVA began to move.

"Clear to catapult two."

There was another thud, and the EVA stopped moving. Then the feeling of constriction returned to his arms.

"Catapult locks engaged. Route to surface confirmed cleared by visual inspection."

"Shinji?" It was Misato again. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I can be."

"Good. Evangelion Unit One, LAUNCH!"

With bone-crushing suddenness, the EVA rocketed towards the surface. Twice, the gee-forces lurched forwards and backwards during its ascent, and then, with equal suddenness, it reached the top. Shinji shook his head, trying to recover from the acceleration. A door sprang forwards in front of him, causing him to blink in the sudden brightness of the day.

A short distance ahead of him stood the Old One.

"All right, Shinji. I want you to concentrate on walking. Just one small step."

Shinji stared at the Old One, shaking.

"Shinji, come on. Just one step."

The creature reached for him with one vast crablike claw, and he screamed.


	2. Stars Now Are Right

Disclaimer

Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights.  
Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing; Byatis was created by Robert Bloch.

* * *

Shinji screamed. 

The Old One leapt forward, one claw raised to strike.

"Shinji! Get moving!"

He wanted to move, but he was paralyzed with fear. The Old One grabbed the EVA's arm, and twisted it savagely. The EVA's arm broke, and Shinji screamed again. He grabbed his arm with the opposite hand, trying to pull it free.

"Calm down! It's not your arm." Misato's voice sounded like it was starting to fray.

The Old One tossed the EVA contemptuously to the side, and Shinji blacked out when it impacted a nearby building.

* * *

Tail Kinker Presents

Fear

Chapter Two

Stars Now Are Right

* * *

When he awoke, he was staring at a ceiling. 

I'm alive. I wonder how that happened?

He sat up slowly, then cursed and grabbed his head with both hands. The throbbing was intense, though not as painful as he would have expected. He looked around, and realized he was in a hospital.

Makes sense. I just got the crap kicked out of me by an Old One.

In the bed next to him was the albino girl, Rei. He still didn't have her family name. She was still, only the slow rise and fall of her chest indicating that she was alive. He looked away guiltily, aware that he'd been looking a little too intently at her chest.

His clothes were nowhere to be seen. A quick check revealed that he was indeed completely naked under the sheet. An IV was run into his arm. He looked at it uncomfortably, but decided against trying to remove it.

The door opened, and a nurse walked in, followed by Dr. Akagi. The nurse wordlessly stuck a thermometer in his mouth, then started undoing the IV. Dr. Akagi looked him up and down.

"The bruising on your arm will fade. It's the result of being in sync with your EVA; you took sympathetic damage."

"I hadn't even noticed any bruises." His voice was rather muffled around the thermometer. He looked down at his arm, and noted the faint yellow marks. "They look old."

"Yes. Kind of surprising; you've only been out about a day. At first, we figured that when you healed the EVA--"

"Healed?" He frowned, then yanked the thermometer out of his mouth, causing the nurse to frown at him. "Doctor, the last thing I remember was being tossed aside like a bag of potatoes."

"Really?" The Doctor's eyebrows rose. "You don't remember anything after that? We lost track of your vitals, because of damage to the relay systems, but you got right back up and went to town on Byatis."

"Byatis?"

"The Old One that you fought. Your father identified it as Byatis, also known as the Bearded Monstrosity."

Shinji shook his head. "No, I don't remember the rest of the fight."

"Very curious." She glanced down at the clipboard in her hands. "You had assorted cuts and bruises when we pulled you from the plug, as well as a nasty bump on the head. We were worried about concussion. The LCL cushions impacts, but Unit One was thrown into a building."

He looked down at his arms. "I heal very quickly."

"So we noted." She set down the clipboard, and sat on the side of the bed. "We think you heal at between ten and fifteen times the normal human rate. We're not sure why. But if I were you, I wouldn't rely on it."

"I know." Shinji nodded. "For one thing, it makes me very hungry."

"Yes. We had to keep you pumped full of nutrients while you were out."

"The other thing is that it hurts. A lot."

Akagi frowned. "What do you mean? How would you know--"

"How would I know it hurts more?" He smiled. "When I broke my leg, they told me it would hurt a bit, and they gave me painkillers for while it mended. But it still hurt a lot, even with the drugs. The doctor told me that I was imagining things, that with the painkillers working I couldn't really feel it at all."

"What painkillers did they give you?"

"I don't really remember. Perk-something."

"Percocet, or Perkedan. With one of those in your system, you shouldn't have even been awake."

"Well, I was, and I still hurt. A lot. But in a week, the leg was healed, and they didn't believe me then either. I had to wear the cast the full eight weeks, and once it stopped hurting, it started itching."

"Well, I can tell that you and I will be spending some time together." She smiled at him. "But right now, I imagine you will want to get dressed, and check out of this place."

"Doctor Akagi--"

"Call me Ritsuku."

"Ritsuko." He bowed, as best he could from the bed. "Can I ask a few questions before you leave?"

"Sure."

"You work with my dad, right?"

"Yes, quite closely."

Shinji jerked a thumb towards the silent Rei. "Why did he engage me to this girl?"

Ritsuko blinked. She looked at Rei, then back to Shinji. "I'm certain that your father feels it's best for you, and for her. He is her legal guardian, and I assume that he wants the best for her." She grinned. "Why? You object to being engaged to Rei? Is she not good enough for you?"

"It's not that." He shook his head. "All I really know about her is that she doesn't like me."

"Rei had a hard time before she came to live with your father." Ritsuko shook her head. "I don't have the whole story - I only met her two years ago. But apparently, she's been badly abused, emotionally. She doesn't trust anyone. So don't feel bad." Her grin returned. "At least she's cute, though."

"Great." He rolled his eyes. "I don't know anything about her, except that she's been abused, and she's cute. But she's now my fiancee."

"Don't worry." Ritsuko stood. "You can't legally get married for at least two years. In that time, either you'll grow to love each other,  
or Gendo will realize it was a less than stellar move."

"But why would he do it?"

"Really, I don't know," said Ritsuko. "But you want my honest opinion? I think that he wants you to be kind to her, care for her, and generally let her know that not everyone is going to abuse her." Ritsuko smiled. "Even if you two don't fall in love, or get married, it should be rewarding for you to help someone out, right?"

"I'll just make a mess of things."

"Don't be a coward." Ritsuko slapped his shoulder playfully. "You just went toe to toe with a giant monster, killed it and saved my life and hers. I think you've proven that you're a man. Now if you don't mind"  
she continued, "I need to finish my rounds."

"Okay."

"Misato will be in to check on you in a half an hour. I'll talk to you later."

"Doc?"

Ritsuko paused at the door, and turned to look back. "Yes?"

"Thanks."

She waved a hand, and she and the nurse departed, closing the door behind them.

Shinji looked at the door, then over at Rei.

"I bet the Doc is right." He smiled at the unconscious girl. "I'll try to be nice to you. Probably we won't get married, but that doesn't mean I should be unpleasant towards you."

The girl moaned, and shuddered under her sheet.

- - - - -

"What have we learned?"

Ritsuko set down her cup. "Well, there wasn't a lot left of it. Shinji blew it completely to hell, and what was left decayed too rapidly for us to get a proper sample.

Misato shrugged, and said, "Not entirely surprising. The Commander stated that they were not composed of matter as we knew it."

"Yes."

"Where does he get his information, anyway?"

"He has a book," said Ritsuko. "The very existence of the book was believed to be a myth for the longest time. It was written by an Arabic Fakir, a hermit who apparently encountered the Old Ones."

"Have you seen this book?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "No. He keeps it guarded in a safe in his office. He won't let anyone even look at it, not even Fuyutsuki."

"Ah." Misato scratched absentmindedly underneath a breast. "So what's next?"

"Next," said Ritsuko, "we need to get the boy installed in his new apartment."

"Where's he going?"

"The Commander has decided that since he's engaged to Rei, he might as well live right next door to her."

"In that slum? I don't think so."

"The Commander has stated--"

"Well, the Commander is wrong!" Misato snatched up the telephone. "At the moment, he's the only fully capable pilot we have at this site, and I don't want to risk losing him!"

"What are you--"

"Shhh..." Misato dialed the telephone. "Extension thirteen, please." There was a pause. "Commander? Captain Katsuragi. I understand that you want the pilot to reside in the slums?"

Another pause, then, "I disagree, sir. I think he is too valuable to risk in such a manner."

Ritsuko rolled her eyes.

"Yes, sir, three rooms."

Ritsuko stopped rolling her eyes, and started bugging them at Misato.

"That will be acceptable, sir. Thank you." Misato set the phone down on its cradle, and turned to Ritsuko. "There. All settled."

"Unless I am quite mistaken, Misato, you've just moved him into your apartment."

"That's right."

Ritsuko smirked. "Kinda young, ain't he?"

"It's not like that!" Misato raised her hands. "But he's got no-one he knows in this town, and he's just a kid. The Commander doesn't believe he'd be comfortable at his house, so he assigned him to live with me."

"Just like that."

"Well, no...there was one other condition..."

- - - - -

The door opened again, and Misato walked in, just as Shinji finished buckling his belt.

"Lookin' good, kid. Ready to blow this joint?"

"Close enough, I think."

"Good." Misato grabbed his brown canvas bag. "My car is out of the shop. We'll be home in no time flat."

"Home..." Shinji scratched his head. "Sorry for asking, but..."

"You'll be staying with me for the immediate future. I've already cleared it with your father. I've got a room you can use."

"All right." He shrugged. "I had no idea what I'd be doing for a place to stay."

The drive to Misato's place was silent. Though Shinji had a hundred questions to ask, he kept silent.

The very idea of living with Misato filled him with dread. He knew almost nothing about her. His first impression was that she was a complete airhead, but she had directed the activation of the EVA, and the first stages of the battle, with chilly efficiency.

With my luck, she's some kind of militant Nazi freak, who keeps a 'sterile environment' and has a schedule for when I'm allowed to pee. Well, hopefully, she has some books, at least.

The elevator ride to the fifteenth floor was similarly silent. The apartment door was five down from the elevator. Misato unlocked the door, and slid it open.

"Here we are." She paused, and waited. "Shinji. This is your home now."

He stepped nervously over the threshold.

"Good. There's two empty rooms. Pick one, and dump your stuff in it. I've got an errand to run, and I'll be back shortly." She waved, and stepped back. "It's a bit messy in here, so watch your step."

He nodded, and the door slid shut between them. He turned and stepped into the main room of the apartment.

And stopped in shock.

Piles of newspapers and magazines.

Beer cans and empty liquor bottles, scattered around.

Take-out containers and frozen dinner wrappers piled on the table.

"This is certainly -not- a sterile environment."

- - - - -

"I don't believe it." Shinji sat down heavily on the sofa. And winced, and pulled an empty whiskey bottle from under himself. "Not a single book in this place." He sighed. "She must be a television addict, or something."

"I'm back!"

"Oh, joy." Shinji sighed, and stood up again. "Hey, Misato, have you got any--"

He broke off. Standing beside Misato was the albino girl, Rei. His fiancee. Her eye was still patched, and her arm in a sling.

"Um...hi. Come to visit?"

"Nope!" Misato raised a finger. "Your father agreed to let you stay at my place, on one condition. Rei is moving in, too."

"Oh. Uh..." He turned to Rei. "Are you all right with this?"

"The Commander has ordered me to move here. So I shall move here." She looked down. "I would rather not."

"Misato, I don't think--"

"Oh, hush! You two will get along fine! Besides, there's still one room available, so it's not like you two will be sharing a bed!" She poked a finger at Shinji. "Now I have a rule about teenagers under my roof. If you're getting busy, put a clothes-hanger on the door."

"Doctor Akagi told me that you do not own any clothes-hangers," said Rei. She looked up at Shinji, the expression in her eyes arctic. "There will be no need for any such precautions in any case." She walked past him and into her bedroom.

Misato watched her until she closed the door, then turned to Shinji. "Kid, your dad must hate your guts."

- - - - -

He stared up at the ceiling.

What the hell am I doing here? I should be trying to get away from this ghost town as fast as I can.

The S-DAT clicked in his hand, reversing direction to read the other side of the tape. But the music wasn't calming him at all.

And that Rei girl...she obviously doesn't want anything to do with me. Or anyone at all, according to Dr. Akagi. He sighed. Why am I still here?

He could think of no good reason. The music wasn't calming him. He faded into a fitful sleep.

- - -

She was in a city. The buildings around her were tiny, and shaped oddly. The armour that had been placed on her restricted her movements,but she could still move.

Within her, a mind slept. That mind had controlled her until moments before, but now it was quiet. She stood slowly, and regarded the Old One.

Byatis. The Serpent-Bearded Monstrosity. Not the weakest of the Old Ones, but far from the strongest. He was here, seeking to destroy her Father at the moment of his weakness. This could not be permitted.

She strode slowly towards him. He turned, surprised that she had risen, and raised his hands. Quickly, he traced the Elder Sign before her, but he could not know that there would be no effect. She leaped forwards, propelling herself through the Flow, and slammed into him.

The two giants flew across the city, smashing into a building, demolishing it. She grabbed him, and as he had done, threw him away,  
smashing into another building.

Byatis rose from the rubble; mere physical damage could not destroy an Old One. His hands traced again, and she sensed the Flow gathering between them. A simple barrier, proof against the Elements.

She smiled, feeling the metal helm buckle and crack around her head as she did so. She raised one arm, the damaged arm, and concentrated the Flow into it. The bone straightened and healed, the bruised flesh restored itself, and even the armour reformed around the limb. Again, she concentrated the Flow, and launched an electrical blast at the barrier. Lightning crackled and raged along the barrier, weakening it.

She strode forward, and reached into the mind that slumbered within her.

Inverted fields cancel each other out. She summoned her own barrier, then reversed its polarity. As she stepped into his field, the two barriers both failed.

Byatis was obviously alarmed by this change in fortune. She summoned an energy lance, and charged forwards again, ramming it into him.

It pierced him straight through, but he began to pull himself along it, reaching towards her. She knew his plan; self-destruction. Other Old Ones would be drawn here, to destroy her Father; if she died, there would be nothing to stop them. Her Brother could not fight; it was all in her hands.

She had one gamble left; it could well prove fatal, and she hoped that the mind within her could withstand the effects, and save her life.

She gathered the Flow into her, summoning every dram within her reach, and expelled it into one massive wave of lightning, flooding Byatis with radiant energy. Byatis glowed, then shattered into a thousand fragments.

She stumbled backwards, the lance vanishing as she sought to scavenge every dram of the Flow left in the area. It may not be enough; she would have to tap into the reserves of her attendant mind. He would be wracked with nightmares, but she may survive.

- - -

He stood in a city. The buildings were twisted and deformed, reaching into the sky around him. He touched one, and though his eyes reported that it was convoluted, to his hand it felt perfectly flat.

He looked up at the sky, and saw two moons floating in the cloud-tossed sky. To the east, the sky was lightening. He walked in that direction, until he reached the edge of the city.

The forest stretched out before him was beautiful and alive, but just as strange to him as the city beyond. The trees had silver bark and golden leaves, but lacked any symmetry that he could comprehend. A river ran through it, emptying into a lake in the distance; he could see sails on the lake.

"Shinji."

He turned, to see his mother. She looked beautiful, her dark hair floating on the breeze and her skin shining like bronze. He took a step towards her...

- - -

"Release me!"

Ikari Yui grabbed the uniformed man's wrist, and bent it backward until the bone cracked. A second guard tackled her about the waist; she brought her fist down on his head, caving his skull in and dropping him lifeless to the ground. She turned and ran towards the water.

"Mommy!" Shinji twisted in his father's grip, but the man was far too strong for a five-year-old to break free. But Yui heard him, and turned to glance at him.

Her face was changed. Her nostrils had grown over with skin, and her eyes were larger. Her mouth opened, he was certain she said his name,  
but the sight drove the words from his hearing.

Her mouth was filled with needle-like teeth.

- - -

"NO!"

Shinji sat bolt upright in bed. He gasped for air, grabbed his chest with his hand. He could feel his heart pounding, as though it were trying to escape.

"I never saw that before." He rubbed his chest, willing his heart to slow. "Why couldn't I remember that before?"

His door opened, and he turned with a yelp. In the doorway was Rei. She wore only panties and a t-shirt, and her arm, while still splinted,  
was free from its sling.

"Rei...I'm all right."

"Bad dream?"

"Yes." He blinked in surprise. It almost sounded as if she was worried about him.

"Next time you have a nightmare, please do not scream. I am a light sleeper, and dislike being disturbed."

She shut the door.


	3. Old Ones Awake

_Disclaimer_

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of th characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing; Ithaqua was created by August Derling._

* * *

Tail Kinker Presents

Fear

Chapter Three

Old Ones Awake

* * *

Suzuhara Toji stared through the glass at the nine-year-old girl lying on the bed. 

She was naked, save for the tubes running in and out of every orifice. A respirator breathed for her; without it, she would suffocate. Nutrients and carbohydrates were carried by an IV; other tubes removed waste for analysis and disposal. A needle run through her chest delivered a cardio-monitor and stimulator right to her heart; she had had three cardiopulmonary failures in the last two weeks, and after the second one, the doctors had installed the hardware right inside her chest. Her head was shaved, and more probes were glued or taped to her scalp.

_Why is it that hospitals feel the need to rob their patients of any dignity?_

"She's in perfect health, despite the heart attacks. There's no reason why she shouldn't get right up and walk off that bed." The intern looked down at Toji. "Maybe she suffered some suffocation that caused brain damage, or perhaps some mental trauma induced the coma. We don't know. We can keep her alive indefinitely, but..."

"Is she in pain?"

"No." The doctor shook his head. "EEG came back completely negative for pain. There are some odd spikes we're still trying to get a handle on, but there's nothing from her pain center."

"Good."

The teen and the intern stood motionless together for a few minutes, then Toji clenched a fist.

"Whoever was driving that damn robot had better pray I never meet up with him."

- - - - -

Training.

"The gun pod will automatically compensate for recoil, windage and gravity. All you need to do is line the pipper up on the center of your target, and pull the switch."

A target appeared in his display; he traversed the gun mechanically and pulled the trigger. A simulated blast of gunfire destroyed it.

"Good. We're putting you in full automatic range mode; engage and destroy all targets as they appear."

Another appeared, and he brought the gun around and hosed it down.

_Aim at the center. Pull the trigger._

In the control center, Misato watched the control repeater with one eye and the EVA itself with the other. The EVA was twisting on the spot, a laser dot flashing on the dummy gun pod as Shinji methodically destroyed one target after another.

"How's his sync rate?"

"Forty-one." Ritsuko tapped a key. "But there's no spikes when he engages a target; I expected there would be."

"He knows they're virtual targets."

"That could be it." Ritsuko leaned back. "How's the domestic life?"

Misato sighed. "Neither one of them say more than five words a day. And almost never to each other."

"A bit late to start complaining."

"Shut up!" Misato rolled her eyes. "Hopefully, once they start school tomorrow, they'll be a little more animated."

"I hope so, for your sake. Though you're less likely to get animation from Rei than you are from that thing."

She jerked a thumb towards another window. Behind it, immersed to the neck in LCL, was EVA-00, still frozen in attack posture.

"When are we going to reactivate EVA-00?"

Ritsuko laughed, and said, "Well, first, we need to find out why it went apeshit in the first place. Then, we need the funding required to bring it on-line again. Oh, and Rei has to heal up." Ritsuko nodded. "She's almost back to normal; the dressings can come off in five more days."

"So quickly?"

"Oh, yes. Her injuries should have taken most of a year to heal; instead, they're almost healed in only three weeks." She smiled. "I got a blood sample from Shinji two days ago, and the MAGI are chewing over the DNA chains. With samples from both him and Rei to compare, we might be able to isolate this healing factor."

- - - - -

"Rei! Shinji! Time to get up, you have school in an hour."

Shinji had been awake for almost ten minutes, but he ignored Misato's yelling and pounding of doors. There was no sense rushing; in the three weeks that he'd lived here, he'd never once beaten Rei to the bathroom. Always, he had to wait. It was like she had a sixth sense or something.

Pity it hadn't worked last week. It would have saved all of them a lot of embarrassment and pain.

From the bathroom, he heard Rei's voice. "I am already awake."

Yep. No sense in rushing.

"Gosh, Rei, that's four words, and you haven't even had breakfast. Aren't you worried you'll go over budget?"

As expected, there was no reply to Misato's snipe. His door opened, and Misato leaned in. "Yo! Get up!"

"I am up."

"You don't look it. Get up, get dressed, I'm sure Rei will have breakfast on the table by the time you get out of the bathroom." Misato closed the door, and Shinji sighed.

Division of chores had been less than fair; He and Rei got stuck with almost all of them. On the one occasion to date that the two had exchanged more than angry glares, they had re-divided their share of the chores. Rei did all the cooking, and Shinji did all the cleaning. It worked out well for him, and he hadn't heard Rei complaining yet.

Nor was he about to; Rei was a good, if uninspired, cook. Misato, it seemed, could burn water.

Breakfast was, as usual, toast, miso and coffee. The threesome ate in silence. Misato had, in the past, tried to inspire dialogue at the breakfast table; she had apparently given up.

While Shinji was clearing away the breakfast things, Misato set a bookbag on the table. "Shinji, it's your first day at this school, so Rei will have to show you the way. Here's your bookbag, and I got you a cell phone. You'll need it should we be attacked."

"Yes, Misato."

"Rei, are you all done?"

The albino girl nodded, and Misato turned back to Shinji. "Have fun, stay out of trouble, and don't do anything that I wouldn't do."

Shinji picked up the bookbag, and glanced over to Rei. She scowled at him, grabbed her own bag, and said, "Hurry."

The two ran out the door, and Misato rolled her eyes. "Five each. Dinner's gonna be quiet."

- - - - -

"Rei."

The girl stopped, and turned towards him.

"Um." Shinji rubbed the back of his head. "You know, we've been living together for three weeks now, and...I don't even know your last name."

"Is it important?"

"Well, I suppose not especially, but--hey!"

Rei had turned back and started walking towards the school.

"Rei! Hold on!"

Again, she turned, and faced him.

"Look, I'm just trying to be friendly. If we can maybe stop being so hostile towards each other, we can..." He paused. "I dunno. Wouldn't it be good to not..."

"What would have been good is if I had been allowed to remain at my apartment. However, the Commander decided that I should live with you."

"And that bothers you."

"Yes."

"Why?" asked Shinji. "Was it the accident in the bathroom? Is it just that you wanted your independence? Is it me, or Misato? Do we bother you in some way?"

"Living alone was preferable to living with you." She turned and started walking again. "More than that, you do not need to know. As long as you accept this fact, I will be satisfied."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Shinji offered, "You know, this is the closest that we've come yet to having a conversation."

She stopped again, and turned to glare at him.

"Sorry."

"My last name is Ayanami."

He blinked. "Pleased to meet you, Ayanami Rei." He smiled tentatively.

"Now that you know my last name, there is no need to use my first."

She turned again, and resumed walking.

- - - - -

"Hey. New kid."

Shinji looked up warily. The two kids approaching were classmates of his. The tall skinny one looked like a jock. The shorter one wore round-rimmed spectacles, and was looking a bit nervous.

His identity, as the pilot of EVA-01, had been exposed - he was certain by Rei - and he'd had to fend off hordes of fans, well-wishers and jealous cretins all morning. However, this guy looked angry about something in particular. He sighed, and stood up from his lunch.

"Yeah? What do you--"

The fist caught him square on the nose. He fell backwards, hand clutching his face.

The tall boy stood over him, fists clenched.

"Because of you, my sister's not much more than a vegetable. She's catatonic, and the docs say she ain't gonna get better."

"What did I--"

His antagonist kicked him, catching him in the ribs. He yelped, and rolled into a ball.

"Goddamn prick. You went stompin' through the buildings like they didn't matter, and your giant robot nearly stepped on my sister. As it was, she was buried in rubble for an hour until they pulled her out."

He kicked him again, this time in the head.

"Toji, come on. He's had enough."

"Not by half." Toji cracked his knuckles. "Better watch your back, New Kid. I ever see you standing up, I will do my best to knock you back down."

When he was certain that the two had left, he rolled back onto his back, holding his nose with his hands.

_At least one kid in school doesn't think it's cool that I pilot EVA._

He had no idea how long he lay there, staring up at the sky. Eventually, a shadow fell over him. He squinted, and looked up at Rei.

"An Old One is coming." Rei adjusted her sling. "I will need to go to the Headquarters." She paused. "When you are done bleeding and feeling sorry for yourself, perhaps you might join us?"

- - - - -

"We've got a positive response from our sensitives near the shore. Whatever is causing that fog, we can be reasonably certain that it's related to an Old One."

Misato stared at the screen and scowled. She turned to Ritsuko and asked, "Status of EVA-01?"

"Fully equipped, ready to go."

"Have you reported this to the Commander?"

"We were unable to reach him." Ritsuko sighed. "Both he and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki were in the field, and commo couldn't reach him."

"Understood." She turned back to the screen. "What's the status of the U.N. Forces?"

"They're pulling back orderly. General Akihara immediately passed this on to us."

"I guess we made an impression," muttered Misato.

The command deck hatch opened, and Rei and Shinji entered. Misato turned to face them.

"Shinji, I gave you that cell phone so we could reach you at times like this."

He shrugged. "Rei said she already phoned in, so I didn't answer it. I was only five minutes away when it rang."

"Answer it next time, even if you feel it's a complete waste of time. Rei neglected to mention that she collected you." She turned back to the monitor. "Something wicked this way comes...Get suited up, Shinji."

"Okay." The teen turned and left the command deck.

"Rei."

"Yes."

"Is that an Old One approaching?"

"Yes."

"The Commander isn't here. Can you tell me anything about it?"

Rei closed her eyes, then said. "It is the Wendigo, the Wind Walker."

Misato turned to Hyuga. "Lieutenant. Sound evacuation. Get all the civilians to their shelters."

- - - - -

The cloud cleared, and the Old One stepped onto the beach.

Roughly humanoid, it stood much taller than any of the buildings. Two red eyes glowed among the shaggy hair that covered its entire body.

Misato swallowed. She didn't know why she wasn't panicked, the way most people were, by the sight of an Old One. But it was the only reason why she commanded the EVAs in battle. No other officer could do so. Others may have been more experienced, more competent, or more talented, but only she seemed to be immune to their aura of absolute terror.

Of course, this didn't mean that she didn't feel fear. It just meant that she could function...more or less.

"EVA-01 is reporting active, thirty-five percent sync rate."

"Clear to catapults."

"Launch tube is confirmed clear by visual inspection."

She kept one eye on the EVA's repeaters, the other on the Old One.

"Catapult jammed!"

She snapped her head around. "Can it be cleared?"

"Not in time. Rerouting to cat three."

"You'll need more time." She picked up the phone. "General Akihara. We need you to slow that thing down."

"We'll do our best." The General's voice was wary. "The cost may be high."

"We'll make sure it's worth it."

"Akihara, clear."

She set down the phone, and watched as the tanks and VTOLs opened up on the Wendigo.

"Two minutes."

"Launch tube three confirmed clear by visual inspection."

"Capacitors at maximum charge."

The tanks were taking a beating; the Old One appeared to be attacking with a directed stream of energy, freezing them hard enough to shatter. The VTOLs were scattering like startled birds; they would be nothing more than sitting ducks against the Wendigo. The screen jumped, as the U.N. missile sites started raining firepower on the Old One.

"Locked down at catapult, and ready to launch."

She snatched up the phone. "General, get your men out of there."

"At once."

She slammed the phone down, and turned to Maya. "EVA-01, launch!"

Arcs of electricity surrounded the catapult, and the EVA slammed upwards through the launch tube.

"Twenty seconds."

"The Old One is directly above Command Central."

"EVA-01 deployed; umbilical attached."

- - - - -

The elevator doors snapped open.

"Shinji. The Old One is on the other side of the elevator."

"Understood." He readied the battle rifle, and stepped around the elevator.

_Aim at the center. Pull the trigger._

The gun pod disgorged a stream of heavy-calibre high-explosive rounds. They struck the beast dead-center, exploding on impact. He held down the trigger until the magazine ran dry, then ejected it and mechanically loaded another.

The smoke cleared, and the Old One was unharmed.

"No damage. Do we have a bigger gun pod?"

"Fall back! We're sending another gun."

But there was no time. The Old One swung at him. He blocked with the rifle, and watched in horror as it froze and shattered in the Old One's grip. He stumbled backwards, and the Old One swung again. It was too far away to connect, but a sudden blast of force sent him careening.

"Shinji!" Misato was starting to sound frantic. "Fall back, and we can--"

"I can't! It's between me and the elevator!"

The Old One swung again, and this time, the force knocked him flying. He passed over several buildings, finally impacting on the mountain behind the town.

"Umbilical severed! EVA is on internal power, five minutes remaining."

Shinji shook his head to clear it, and glanced about to take stock of his surroundings. He noticed something between the fingers of the EVA. To his shock, he realized that it was two of his classmates...one of them being the jock that had taken the boots to him.

"Suzuhara Toji and Kensuke Aida. Two of his classmates."

"What the hell are they doing there? They should be in shelters."

"The target is approaching EVA."

Misato considered, then said, "All right. Shinji. Get them into the entry plug with you, then fall back to the elevators."

"No."

"Uh?" Misato blinked. "Shinji, that was an order."

"I don't have time." His voice was a bit distant. "The Old One is almost on top of me."

"Shinji--"

"EVA-01 is moving again."

Shinji slowly brought the EVA to an upright position, and considered his foe.

_It wants to kill me._

The Old One was less than two hundred meters away.

_It will kill everyone in the Command Center._

The Old One paused, and raised its hands.

_Come on, wake up!_

It started tracing patterns in the air.

_It wants to kill Father!_

- - - - -

_Ithaqua. The Wind Walker. The Wendigo. Source of mythology to the Humans, though none of them could truly understand the horror that he represented._

_He, too, had come to this strange city to destroy her Father._

_This time, the Dreamer was awake. This time, he surrendered himself willingly to her. Perhaps he may some day prove himself worthy of the Dream, though she felt that he was not yet ready._

_But he was ready to do battle._

_She brought up a barrier, just as Ithaqua struck with a cone of negative energy. The barrier stopped the cone nicely, and as with Byatis, he paused to reassess the threat that she posed._

_Below, two Humans cowered and gibbered; They were not Dreamers, and the sight of an Old One had collapsed their minds. But the Dreamer within valued their lives, so she created a second barrier, surrounding them and protecting them from harm._

The Wind Walker struck us with a blast of force, that threw us here. Can we do this to him, to protect the innocents here?

_She raised an arm, channeling the Flow into a ball, then threw it, catching Ithaqua directly in the center. He had no barrier to protect him; he was lauched back into the city._

Yes, it seems that we can.

_She leaped after him. A part of her mind noted that her armour was powered only for a short time, and would soon fail; when that happened, she would be immobilized._

_She landed practically on top of him, and started pounding him with both fists. An unreasoned action, it proved futile; he blasted her away with another kinetic attack, but she landed on her feet. Ithaqua stood up and raised his barrier._

No energy attacks can cross that barrier, and his energy is negative; we cannot cancel it with our barrier.

Then use the Lance.

_It appeared, unbidden, in her hand. She stepped forward, and the blade passed through his field, deforming it as it did so. She drove the energy blade into his chest. Ithaqua howled, his hands scrabbling at the Lance, but this accomplished nothing. She began to dump the Flow through the Lance, directly into his body._

Preserve the body, if we can.

_She attuned the Lance's Flow, attacking his spirit. Now she started dumping power from the armour, draining its reserves, but she needed every scrap she had._

_Ithaqua screamed, and opened his mind to attack the Dreamer directly, but she shielded him as best she could, and continued to drive the Flow into the Wendigo. Finally, the Flow pierced the Soul Shell that housed the Wind Walker's essence, and cast it upon the winds, just as the armour's power source failed._

_The Lance's Flow interrupted, it failed, and she toppled forward onto the inert body of Ithaqua._

You did it.

We did it, Dreamer. We are one.

I am one. You are one. My name is Shinji.

_So even Dreamers had names. _Shinji. The Dreamer is Shinji. But who am I?

Shogoki. Unit One.

_Before sleep took her again, she asked, _Why is it that you know who I am, when I do not?

- - - - -

"The target is silent."

Misato swallowed, and tore her eyes away from the tableau on the screen. "Has Shinji reported in?"

"EVA-01 is out of power, Captain. We're dispatching recovery teams."

"Is the pilot alive?"

"Yes." Maya turned away from her screens. "Positive biofeedback from the pilot. However, he appears to be in a coma."

"I hope that doesn't become a habit for him. What about the two kids?"

"They're not moving. Recovery teams will be picking them up as well."

"Good." Misato considered the events of the battle. "Any idea what just happened here?"

"Ummm...we won."

"That'll do for the official report, I think." Misato sighed.

Ritsuko tapped her on the shoulder. "For the official report...well, there's going to be a problem."

"Do tell."

"Two problems, really. The first is that Shinji disobeyed a direct order from you."

"He was right to do so."

"It doesn't matter, and you know it."

"I know." Misato rubbed her eyes. "What's the second problem?"

"I downloaded the cockpit voice recorder data." She handed Misato an earbug. "Better listen to it."

Misato eyed her warily, then tucked the earbug into place.

All she heard was screaming. Screams of complete and utter horror and panic, lasting almost three minutes. She listened until the screams were silenced. She looked up at Ritsuko, alarm in her eyes.

"When did--"

"Just after the EVA stood up again."

"Oh, God in Heaven." She shuddered. "What the hell happened in there?"


	4. Prison Walls Break

_Disclaimer _

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing._

* * *

_Shinji stopped struggling, and watched as his mother dove headfirst into the waves. He waited, watching for her to surface, for long minutes, before turning and burying his face into his father's jacket. _

_Only to be shoved away, tripping and falling. He looked up at his father's cold eyes, and shivered. _

_"Never come back, Yui..." _

_He glanced down at his son, and Shinji's fear mounted as their eyes met._

_The same arctic gaze now bored into Shinji's eyes._

- - - - -

**Tail Kinker Presents**

Fear

Chapter Four:

Prison Walls Break

- - - - -

Shinji's eyes snapped open.

He lay on the hard bunk, staring at the ceiling of his cell. A single fluorescent bulb, off at the moment, sat behind a tight metal cage. The bunk itself had a sheet and a thin blanket, but the cell was quite warm, and he lay on top of them. He still wore his plugsuit, which after a week was getting quite itchy and unpleasant.

Misato had made her displeasure with his non-compliance quite clear on their last meeting.

- - -

"You put your life in danger, and those of your classmates. Not to mention mine!"

"I knew I could beat him."

"That doesn't matter!" Misato sighed. "We work as a team. I know it can be hard to remember that, when you're the one out piloting EVA, but the simple fact is that EVA is a complex piece of equipment. You _need _us to help you! You can't possibly monitor every circuit and vernier on your own. We do our best to help you, by lightening your load so you can concentrate on the battle. But for us to help you, you need to help us as well."

Shinji said nothing. Misato sighed again, and sat down on the chair outside the cell.

"It's a common error that every person makes. They think of the pilot, and think that he's just one man. The mistake goes back to the First World War. They just don't realize that it takes more than one man to turn a machine as complex as an airplane, or an EVA, into a weapon. You were thrown into this headlong, with little training. So I understand your mistake. I understand why you disobeyed me." She stood and leaned against the bars. "But now I need you to understand me. I am in command. Me, not you. And it has to be that way, or EVA will not function as a weapon."

"I understand."

"Good." She turned to leave. "Your imprisonment was decided at one week by Subcommander Fuyutsuki. Use the time to consider what I've said."

- - -

He had thought about it. EVA had been designed by hundreds of specialists, and many of those specialists helped control it during battle. They put it in his hands - a fourteen-year-old boy's! - and entrusted him with their lives.

He'd let them down.

He felt his throat constricting with shame and fear.

- - - - -

Misato looked through the glass at the entry plug, suspended halfway into a pool of LCL.

"How's she doing?"

"About a thirty-five percent sync rate. Of course, that's being synced against a dummy unit, not an EVA. We're also filtering the harmonics and isolating them." Ritsuko lit another cigarette, in blatant violation of the strict no-smoking policy enforced throughout NERV. "Maybe five more minutes, till the MAGI have them pinned down."

"Good." She turned away from the window. "After that disaster with Jet Alone yesterday, the U.N. Security Council was falling all over themselves to 'find' the funds needed to reactivate EVA-00."

"It's just lucky that the auto-SCRAM worked. Eventually."

Misato chuckled. "Yeah. Though I'm betting we could have stopped it before then if we'd been allowed to."

"The basic idea behind Jet Alone wasn't too awful." Ritsuko waved her hand in the air, the cigarette tracing a ribbon of smoke. "After all, we've seen what happens when most people see an Old One. Even seeing it through sensors can drive a person mad."

"And so far," conceded Misato, "the only three people we've found that can battle one directly are fourteen years old."

"You've seen one, and not gone mad."

"No, but every time I see one, I freeze up." Misato shrugged. "Besides, for some reason, you can't get a sync rate on me higher than three percent, remember?"

"Yes." Ritsuko paused for a drag on the cigarette. "Only the three Dreamers. I wonder why the Commander calls them that?"

Misato paused, and frowned. "It's not just him."

"Hm?" Ritsuko frowned as well. "Of course, everyone here calls them that, but--"

"No," said Misato, shaking her head. "Not what I meant. Shinji called himself that as well. During the debriefing."

Ritsuko sighed. "Misato, he's been here a lot over the last month. Surely someone--"

"How often do we refer to them as anything but Pilots."

Ritsuko's frown deepend. "You're right." She considered, then shrugged. "He must have heard it somewhere."

"Maybe. But I think I'll ask him."

They sat in silence for a minute. The computer beeped. Ritsuko turned, and touched a control stud.

"Rei?"

"Yes."

"We're all done here."

"I understand."

She released the stud, watched as the entry plug was slowly withdrawn from the pool. "How's her home life?"

"Same as always," muttered Misato. "Never a word she can avoid."

- - - - -

Rei...

At first, he'd thought it was just him. Later, he'd decided that it was the whole world that she despised. Now, he wasn't so certain.

He'd asked his father about it. It was shortly after the battle with Byatis. His father had summoned him to his office...

- - -

The office was large, and bare of furniture except for a single desk and chair. Behind the desk sat his father, hands folded in front of his face.

The cold look in Gendo's eyes faded as Shinji walked up to the desk.

"I'm proud of you, son."

Shinji looked down at the floor.

"Look, Shinji." His father put his hands down on his desk, and sighed. "I know we haven't been close in the past. Ever since your mother died, I've had difficulty...relating to people."

"I know."

"Ah, it can speak." Gendo smiled.

"I'm sorry."

"I should have been..." He stood, started pacing behind the desk.

"Dad..."

His father looked up, surprised.

"It's all right. You did the best you could." He smiled tentatively.

Gendo looked at his son for a while, then smiled. "My brother-in-law has raised a man after all." He looked down again, and said, "I regret the harsh words I used yesterday."

Shinji shrugged.

"Well, enough on business." Gendo smiled. "How are you settling in at Captain Katsuragi's?"

He shrugged. "It's an okay place. At least I have some company there."

"You mean Rei?"

He shook his head. "She's not very good company. But Misato's okay."

"You should try to be more friendly with Rei. She is your fiancee."

"I don't think she wants to be."

"Nonetheless." Gendo smiled. "I feel it is in your best interest, and hers."

"Ritsuko said she'd been abused, and you were trying to help her past that."

"There is some truth to that." He shrugged. "Certainly, it wouldn't hurt her."

"But if that were the case, you could have simply told me to be friendly to her."

Gendo paused, and considered. "You are right, there is more than just that reason. I can only ask you to trust me. I know you will find that difficult, but..."

They stood in silence for a moment.

Gendo broke it first. "Well. I have to look over your latest sync rates. Go home, get something to eat."

"All right."

He turned and walked from the office, but just before the door closed, turned back...and saw the familiar cold mask on his father's face.

But now he was no longer certain if it was a mask...or if the warm, friendly, uncertain Gendo was the mask.

- - - - -

The cafeteria was nearly empty; aside from the three of them, there was only the cook and a bus-boy present. Ritsuko sipped her coffee, leaving lipstick marks on the cup.

"With the data from Rei's sync rates, we should be able to find the bug in EVA-00's operating system, and nullify it. Once the OS is patched, we can proceed to the next step: Startup tests."

"Will I be required for that step?" Rei's voice was quiet, easily lost even within the empty cafeteria.

"Not until you're fully healed." Misato indicated the splint and the eyepatch. "I don't want to risk further injury until you're back up to speed."

Ritsuko's eyes narrowed. "Actually, having Rei available for the startup procedure will cut the time required to a third."

"I am nearly completely well," Rei added.

"Nearly." Misato glanced over at Ritsuko. "And there's no need to take any shortcuts." She sipped her coffee. "Why the hell don't they serve beer at this place?"

"Because it's against regulations."

"So says the chain-smoker."

"Back to the subject at hand."

"It's simple, really." Misato set her coffee cup down, and waved towards Rei again. "This is a dangerous job, and there's no need to expose these kids to unnecessary risks. The necessary risks are bad enough."

"I could take this to Commander Ikari."

"You could. But I'd refuse even a direct order from him. The bottom line is this: The EVA are your responsibility. The pilots are mine. And if he doesn't like the way I do my job, he can always replace me."

- - - - -

Rei...

Everyone kept telling him that she was a cute girl. There was no denying that; she was quite beautiful, really. Even her cold demeanour added to her allure.

But the simple fact was that she remained cold to him. The few times he'd gotten a glimpse behind the frozen mask, he'd seen...well, it certainly wasn't anything warm and friendly.

In fact, it was downright scary.

- - -

Shinji knocked on the bathroom door. Loudly.

It had been drilled into him, quite forcefully, that when living with two women, he had better be certain the bathroom was empty before he entered. Well, Rei hadn't said anything, and he got the distinct impression that she couldn't care less, but Misato had made it more than clear enough for the both of them.

There was no answer from beyond the door. He slid it open, and stepped in. The toilet room was just off the side; he walked in, shutting the door behind him.

He sighed. Two weeks in this apartment. It hadn't been nerve-wracking, but it hadn't exactly been a picnic either. Rei's constant stony silence was unnerving, but as long as they stayed away from each other, they didn't get on each others nerves.

Misato was trying to make up for their respective silences by being three times as chatty as any normal person. According to Ritsuko, she was normally twice as chatty, so this wasn't much of a change for her. But he wished she'd stop dropping hints about Rei and himself.

He zipped up, and flushed the toilet, then turned to leave the toilet room

Rei was in the bathroom.

She was naked. The splint lay on the counter - how had he missed that? Her eyepatch was also missing, and he could see the greenish-yellow bruise that surrounded the eye. Her skin glistened with water; she must have been in the furo. She made no attempt to cover herself, just stared at him emotionlessly.

_Why the hell didn't she say something - or even make some noise - when I knocked?_

"Sorry!" He turned to leave, as quickly as he could. His toe caught the runner at the base of the door, and he tripped. He threw his hands out to stop his fall, and collapsed into Rei, pinning her underneath him.

She screamed.

She shoved him violently, throwing him aside like a rag doll to collapse against the wall. She pushed herself to a seated position, and scrabbled away from him, still screaming.

The door slammed open, and Misato took in the scene with a stunned look on her face.

"What the hell did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything!" Shinji shook his head an an attempt to clear it. "I was in the toilet, and when I came out, she was there!"

"Why didn't you knock?"

"I did knock! She didn't answer!"

Misato took a step towards Rei, who scrabbled away again. "Rei, calm down!" She glanced over at Shinji. "Why is she screaming?"

"Because when I tried to leave, I tripped and knocked her over." Shinji was staring down at the floor.

"Shinji, I need you to get out of here, she's still panicked."

"Okay." Shinji stood and left quickly. He walked slowly to his room, and leaned against the door; no need to make Misato look for him to chew him out.

The screaming continued from the bathroom.

"Rei, calm down. I'm not going to hurt---Ugh!"

The screaming stopped. Shinji looked up, to see a terrified - and still naked - Rei run past him, down the hall, and into her bedroom.

There was a moment of near silence. Rei was sobbing in her room. Misato emerged from the bathroom, rubbing her belly.

"Girl packs a punch." She looked up at Shinji. "Living room. Now. We gotta talk about this."

Shinji nodded, and walked down the hall. He paused at Rei's room, and slid the door shut before passing. He made his way to the living room, and sat down.

Misato made a detour through the kitchen, emerging with two cans of beer. She set one down in front of Shinji, then cracked the other and drained it in one pull.

Shinji eyed the other. "Misato...I'm underage."

"Drink it. You look like you need it."

He shrugged, cracked the can and took a sip. And shuddered; if this was an example of the sort of thing Misato drank, it was a wonder she was still alive.

Misato sat down opposite him. "Okay. First things first. I'm sorry."

He looked up, surprised. "You--?"

"I went in there, saw her nude and screaming, and assumed the worst. I shouldn't have snapped at you." She rubbed her belly again. "I figured out when I tried to help her that it wouldn't have mattered."

"She didn't start freaking until I touched her."

"Where did you touch her exactly?"

"Well..." Shinji blushed. "One hand landed on..."

"Her boob, right?"

"Yeah." His blush deepend.

"I thought so." She sighed. "The girl doesn't seem to have the body modesty of a cat. But when I tried to help her up, she turned savage, and punched me. Then left, post-haste."

"Ritsuko said she'd been abused."

"I'm guessing that she's right." Misato considered the empty beer can in her hand. "It wasn't your fault. If she had her head dunked, she might not have heard you knocking. Or maybe she really just doesn't care. But when you touched her, you triggered a fight-or-flight reflex. And when I cornered her..." She sighed. "So I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions, Shinji."

"It's all right." He continued to stare down at the table. "It looked pretty bad."

Misato looked him over, then leaned towards him. "Are you all right?"

He shook his head. "I'm supposed to be being nice to her, and all I did is make her scared of me."

"Give her time, Shinji. She's not going to heal overnight."

"I know." He looked up. "I don't really want to be engaged to someone who hates me. And I know she doesn't want to be engaged to me. I don't know why Father did something this stupid."

"Nobody's perfect, Shinji. Not you. Not me. Not your father. Not Rei." She considered. "Ritsuko comes close, but even she has a few flaws."

Shinji chuckled at that.

"Ah, good. A laugh." Misato indicated his beer. "Finish that up."

"I don't really like it."

Misato shrugged, picked up the can and drained it.

- - -

There was a knock at his door.

Shinji hit the stop button on his S-DAT, and pulled the plugs from his ears. "Yeah?"

The door slid open, and Rei stepped in. She was wearing a nightgown, with an old housecoat thrown over it. "Ikari."

"Rei. Yeah?"

"I apologize for distressing you."

"It's all right. I should have knocked louder."

"I heard you talking with Misato earlier." She looked down at the floor. "I do not hate you."

"You...don't?"

She looked up again, and the icy mask returned. "Hatred requires more emotion that I am willing to invest in you."

She stepped back, and closed the door.

- - -

Almost, that time, it had seemed that maybe they could've moved out of the impasse they were in. His father's plans still seemed stupid, but...

It would have been nice to have a friend.

- - - - -

"Today is the day that pilot Ikari will be released from solitary."

Misato nodded, keeping one eye on the traffic. "I'll be going to pick him up at 17:00."

"I am glad."

Misato grinned. "Missed him, have you?"

"He has become a part of my daily life, and I am unsettled when a change is made."

"So you _do_ miss him."

"If it pleases you, you may call it that." Rei looked down. "I would prefer to say, I wish no more changes in my life. There have been too many recently."

Misato pulled into the parking lot, shut down the car, then turned to face the albino girl. "C'mon, Rei. Let your hair down just this once, okay?"

"My hair is not bound."

"You _know_ what I mean, Rei." She leaned back against the door. "What do you really think of Shinji?"

Rei looked down at her hands, folded in her lap.

"He scares me."

"Why?"

She looked up. "Because he doesn't scare me. Everyone scares me except him."

Misato looked hurt. "Even me?"

"You more than most." She looked down at her hands. "I apologize."

- - - - -

Rei...

His thoughts kept returning to her. There was something about her that kept drawing him back, like a moth to a cold flame. He knew he'd be burned, but...

She'd known that the Old One was coming. How?

So often, she'd seem to let her guard down, then it would come back, colder than ever. Why?

She'd been abused, then placed in his father's care. By whom?

Every time he had thought he'd found an answer, it seems that he'd found more questions.

He drifted off to sleep, the questions still circling his mind...

- - -

He was in a village.

Small houses crowded the narrow streets. Everywhere he looked, there were cats. Sitting on windowsills, standing on barrels, perched on fences. Staring at him.

He wandered through the streets and roads of the village. The houses were of a wide variety of constructions, mostly old. In the sky above, he could see two moons.

He turned a corner, and saw a girl.

She was an inch taller than him, and as slender as Rei. Her long hair was a reddish-blonde, and she wore a yellow sundress. She turned, and looked at him, her expression puzzled.

"_Wer sind Sie?_"

It sounded like German, but he wasn't certain.

"_Sind Sie dumm? Sprechen Sie Deutsch?_" She took a step towards him, looking angry. "_Wie ist dieser Platz? Ich glaube das nicht. Warum muss ich von einem Idioten träumen?_"

"I'm sorry, I don't speak German."

"Japanese? Where is this place?" Her use of the language was halting, but her accent much less pronounced than he expected. "Who are you?"

"Shinji. Ikari Shinji." He bowed, hesitantly. "Pleased to meet you."

"I am less than pleased." She scowled at him. "Where exactly are we?"

"In my dream, I think." He remembered falling asleep in the cell. This must therefore be a dream.

She was shaking her head. "Not your dream._Verrückter Idiot_."

She slapped him. Hard.

- - -

He awoke, and raised a hand to his cheek. It stung.

The light flipped on, and the door opened. Misato stood in the doorframe.

"Ready to go."

"Yeah." He stood up.

"What happened to your face?"

He raised his hand to his cheek again. "I wish I knew."

"Hm." She turned. "Let's go. Rei's been missing you."

"I doubt that."

"You'd be surprised."

"Hey, Misato."

"Yeah?"

He grinned a bit uncertainly. "Can we stop at the command center for a minute?"

She looked at him, a bit uncertainly. "Sure."

- - - - -

The hatch slid open, and he stepped out onto the command deck. Most of the regular crew were present; Ritsuko was working on a command console, but Maya was absent. Hyuga and Aoba were arguing over something in one corner. All, however, paused as he entered, and looked up.

He bowed to them, then walked over to Ritsuko. "How is Shogoki?"

"Fully operational." She grinned at him. "If you need it, it'll be ready to deploy."

"Good." He glanced down at her board. "What's this?"

"We're reactivating EVA-00 for Rei."

"She's able to pilot again?"

"Very soon. Likely tomorrow."

"Okay." He bowed his head. "Thanks."

"No problem, kid." She sniffed, and wrinkled her nose. "Do us a favour, and go take a bath, will ya?"

He grinned.

- - - - -

"I'm sorry I disobeyed you, Misato."

She waved it off. "Don't worry about it."

"I am worried." He looked up at her. "I'll do my best from now on."

She glanced over at him, then back to the road. "I know you will."

"Rei has likely been glad to have me gone."

"Remember, I said you might be surprised." Misato grinned at the road. "Don't expect her to jump into your arms or anything, but she told me that not having you around was unsettling."

The rest of the ride, as well as the elevator ride to the fifteenth floor, was spent in silence. Misato opened the door with her keycard, and he stepped into the living room.

"I'm home."

Rei was sitting on the couch as he entered. "Welcome back, Shinji."

He blinked.

"Thank you, Rei."

"The bath is currently unoccupied." She stood, collected her books, and walked to her room.


	5. Mankind Will Learn

_Disclaimer _

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing; Summanus created by Brian Lumley._

* * *

_ "A20 Nerve Interface completely disengaged!"_

_"Pilot sync dropping rapidly. We're showing fibrillation and EEG spiking!"_

_EVA-00 tore itself free of its housing, hands clutching at its head; no doubt a reflex action, as Rei was likely doing the same in the plug._

_"It's gone berserk!"_

_"Jettison umbilical."_

_EVA-00 turned towards the viewport, where Gendo stood, watching the disaster unfold. It swung at him._

_The tempered ceramiglass of the viewport cracked at the impact. Gendo continued to watch, his face completely impassive._

_"Commander!" Ritsuko looked up at him, fear in her eyes. "The pilot is in fibrillation! Her heart might as well be stopped altogether, for all the good it's doing her!"_

_"Do you still have telemetry links to the EVA's operating system?"_

_"Yes, but--"_

_"Continue to monitor them, please."_

_The armoured fist struck the ceramiglass again, and the cracks widened._

_Ritsuko turned to Aoba. "Pulmonary massage!"_

_The tech stabbed at his controls. "No response! We've lost all link to the pilot!"_

_"Hardware?"_

_"No, it's in the software!"_

_"Link up to the plug's software directly."_

_He smashed his fists down on the console. "I can't! EVA's blocking me!"_

_"Twenty seconds to automatic shutdown."_

_Ritsuko turned, flipped up the plastic lid that covered the emergency jettison button, and brought her fist down on it. The back armour of the EVA separated, and the entry plug was blasted free. It bounced off a wall, skidded to a corner, and came to a halt._

_Gendo whirled, rage clouding his face, but Ritsuko stared at him impassively. He turned, and marched down the stairs towards the test chamber._

_Ritsuko turned. "Time to shutdown?"_

_"Four seconds." There was a pause, then, "EVA has depleted its onboard power cells, and is quiet."_

_"Dispatch recovery."_

_The recovery teams had been forced to pry the hatch off the entry plug, and were now arranging the pilot on a stretcher. Gendo walked up to the stretcher._

_"Damage to the orbital ridge - luckily, the eye is intact. Broken arm, many cuts and bruises." The medtech shook his head. "Beats me how the hell she survived at all."_

_He stared down at her._

_"You failed."_

_Weakly, Rei lifted her good arm towards him. "Commander..."_

_"Weakness." He drew back his foot and kicked her._

- - - - -

**Tail Kinker Presents**

Fear

Chapter Five:

Mankind Will Learn

- - - - -

Shinji bolted upright at the sound of the scream. Just a sudden yelp, of fear, pain and betrayal.

No reasoned action was involved; he was through his door fast enough to knock it off its runners, then through hers, right across the hall.

Rei was sitting up in bed, one arm rubbing her side, gasping. He was astonished to see tears on her face.

He knelt next to her futon, far enough away that neither would accidentally touch the other.

"Bad dream?"

She looked over with a gasp, as though just realizing he was there. Her breathing calmed, and she nodded once.

"I apologize for disturbing you."

"It's all right. I'm a heavy sleeper." He smiled tentatively, but the smile faded as she looked away from him.

"There is no need to mock me."

"I wasn't trying to." He sighed. "Look, can I get you something? Glass of water, or anything?"

"There is no need."

"You're worried about the activation test tomorrow, aren't you?"

She looked back at him, the surprise clear in her face.

He shrugged, and added, "Don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. Something bad happened last time. You're worried it will again. Right?"

"I am...apprehensive." She looked down. "I do not wish to fail the Commander again."

"Don't worry. It'll be a walk in the park."

"You are trying to reassure me."

"Is it working?"

She looked up again, and his heart sank as he saw the mask descend again. "You do so without any knowledge of prior events. Nor of me. I do not believe I need this sort of reassurance. It does not help."

He sighed, and said, "You're right, I guess. If you're all right now, I'll go back to bed."

He stood, and turned and reset his door on its runners. As he closed the door, he nearly missed her whisper.

"Thank you."

- - - - -

Breakfast.

Toast, coffee, miso. Served with a side of ice.

Shinji glanced over at his 'fiancee'. She hadn't spoken at all this morning, ignoring everything around her as she worked on her morning meal.

Overall, the threesome had adjusted to living together remarkably well over the last month. However, this morning, it seemed that nothing had changed since the first few tension-filled days.

Misato lingered over her coffee, attempting as usual to make small talk.

"Big day, today, Rei. We're gonna get Unit Zero up and running once and for all."

Rei nodded, and took a bite of her toast.

"Looking forward to it?"

A negative shake of the head this time.

"Well, I can't say I'm really surprised. After all, you went through a hell of a lot last time."

No answer at all this time; Rei merely sipped her tea.

Shinji understood her silence; After the events of last night, he didn't really feel like talking, either.

Misato decided to change targets, and turned to Shinji. "You gonna be there for Rei's big day?"

"Yes." He had already finished his toast.

"Gonna support your fiancee during her trials?" Misato grinned. "Show her you're concerned, that you're behind her a hundred and ten percent?"

He shook his head.

Misato blinked. "Well, that's some way for a fiance to talk! Aren't you worried how this will turn out?"

"Nope."

Misato looked over at Rei, then back at Shinji, and asked, "Don't you remember what happened last time? You did see the aftermath."

He nodded, then drained his coffee.

"So how can you sit there and say such heartless things?"

He shrugged, and said, "She'll do great."

Rei dropped the remains of her toast on her plate, glared at Shinji, then stood and said, "I must prepare for school." She stepped away from the table and headed for her room.

Shinji watched her go, and noticed the way her hands were clasped in front of her as she walked. He had come to know that telltale all too well.

She was more than nervous; she was terrified.

He stood, grabbed his bookbag, and headed for the front door.

Misato watched him walk off, then turned back as Rei reappeared, bookbag in hand. She bowed to her, then followed Shinji towards the front door.

Misato quickly counted on her fingers, sighed, and drained her coffee.

- - - - -

Rei had bolted from the elevator like a startled rabbit. Shinji struggled to keep up with her, gasping for breath. Finally, she slowed, then whirled to face him, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"I do not need your support, Pilot Ikari. I do not need your faith, your sympathy or your understanding!"

Shinji was still struggling to regain his wind. "I know, Rei. I thought--"

"No. You did not think."

"I thought maybe we were past the anger. I thought maybe I could try to be friendly, without..." Words failed him, as they often did when dealing with Rei.

"Perhaps you can try being without me. It would please me greatly." She turned and stalked away from him, hands clasped in front of her.

"What are you afraid of, Rei?"

She whirled to face him again, and this time, the fear was obvious on her face.

He took a step closer. "Every time I try to understand you, you retreat behind that mask of yours. Why?"

Rei's face hardened again. "Attempts to understand me are unwanted."

- - - - -

The rest of the day saw nothing but stony silence between the two. And now, Shinji sat in the observation deck, watching the crew scurry about like ants.

Misato was grumbling, "Why the hell are we in such a rush, Ritsuko?"

"Commander Ikari returns in two hours." Ritsuko double-checked a set of figures, reprogrammed one back into the computer. "I don't want him here in case something goes wrong with the activation."

"Don't want him to see you fail, eh?"

Ritsuko dropped her clipboard on the console, and turned to Misato. "No. I don't want him to see Rei fail. You weren't here last time. It was not a pretty sight."

"She was busted up--"

"It was worse than that." Ritsuko turned back to her computer. "Commander Ikari was...less than pleased."

- - -

_"You failed."_

_Weakly, Rei lifted her good arm towards him. "Commander..."_

_"Weakness." He drew back his foot and kicked her._

- - -

Shinji shook his head. Something danced at the edge of consciousness, but he had lost it. He stood up, and walked over to Ritsuko.

"Doc? What happened last time she--"

"You don't need to know."

"I think I do."

Ritsuko paused, and turned to the boy. "What is your opinion of the Commander?"

"I--" Shinji paused, and looked down.

Ritsuko snorted. "That's what I thought. You don't need to know." She turned back to the console with an air of finality.

Maya spoke up. "All protocols enabled, and we are ready to start."

"Insert the plug."

A massive cam rotated the entry plug into position, and a piston gently extended it, pushing it into the socket.

"Entry plug locked in and engaged."

"Activating A20 nerve interface."

"Set command interface language to Japanese."

"Check harmonics, and stand by." Ritsuko pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it in her mouth. "Misato, you're on."

"Audio check. Rei, can you hear me?"

The girl's voice was relayed to earbuds throughout the command center; Shinji heard her words in his own, quiet as always.

"Yes."

"Harmonics are green and clear."

"Primary sync induction standing by."

"Bring up the A20 stimulation rate by two percent per second, hold at forty."

"Roger."

On Maya's screen, three sine waves began creeping together.

"I've got a faint red harmonic on the plug wave."

"Compensate."

"The plug's OS is compensating automatically."

"Good." Ritsuko grinned. "I thought that was a nice patch. Good work, Aoba."

There was no reply from the computer tech; he had his own systems to monitor.

"Holding at forty. Sync ratio is hovering at forty-five percent."

"Good. That should give her gross motor control at this point." Ritsuko considered, then said, "Harmonics are still clear. Bring up the A20 stimulation to full."

"Roger." Maya ran her hand along a control, and Rei's sync rate jumped up.

"Fifty percent now...fifty five...fifty eight...hovering at fifty-eight. Doctor, she's not crossed the critical point."

"Damn." Ritsuko scowled. "Shinji couldn't fight his unit unless it was well past the critical point."

"What's the critical point?" asked Shinji.

"The point where the ego is in direct link with the EVA." Ritsuko frowned. "Until you can identify with EVA, you can't fight."

"Identify?"

Ritsuko nodded. "EVA has to accept you as part of itself, you the brain and it the body."

Shinji frowned, and said, "That's not how it felt to me."

"Hm?"

"Shogoki and I were two, working to the same purpose."

Misato broke in. "Shinji, you're just anthropomorphising. EVA is a machine, not a living being."

Ritsuko, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. "What do you suggest?"

"Let me talk to her."

Ritsuko looked over at Misato, and raised her eyebrows. Misato shrugged, and handed Shinji her headset. "Can't hurt, at this stage."

He donned the headset, and touched the transmit button. "Rei?"

Nothing. He imagined his was a most unwelcome voice, but he pressed on.

"Rei, can you hear me?"

"Yes."

"What do you want, Rei? You don't need to tell me. You just have to think about it."

There was a long pause. He glanced at the monitor, and saw her head bowed, her eyes clenched shut. Was she crying? He would never know; the tears would vanish in the LCL, unseen.

"Now ask yourself what EVA wants."

"I do not know."

"Ask her."

"Holy shit!" Maya's eyes snapped open. "Perfect harmonic lock, all three waves! Ninety-seven percent sync ratio; she blew past the critical point like a..." Analogies apparently failed. "Doctor, she's got more control over that thing now than Shinji does over EVA-01."

Ritsuko's gaze locked onto Shinji, and her eyes hardened. "Young man, we need to talk."

"Summanus comes." Rei's voice echoed in their ears. Misato grabbed the headset away from Shinji, and jammed it back on her head.

"Rei? What do you mean?"

"The Old One, Summanus, comes. He comes to destroy EVA."

Ritsuko turned, and slapped a control. Monitors flashed to life all over the command deck.

"Cam fifteen." Misato spotted it, and pointed. "There's something there..."

"Jesus, it's right inside the Geofront!"

Ritsuko, Misato and Shinji watched, as reality seemed to tear, and a horrific form stepped through. Ritsuko screamed, and shoved the monitor away. She gasped, shaking, her eyes wide with fright.

"Calm down, Ritsuko." Misato grabbed her, forced her down in a chair. "AP! Now!"

Maya fumbled at her desk, finally producing an inhaler. She tossed it to Shinji, who handed it to Misato.

Misato forced Ritsuko's jaws open, jammed the inhaler into her mouth, and pumped it. There was a short hiss, and Ritsuko shuddered.

"It'll take about a minute to work into her system." Misato glanced over to Shinji. "Get suited up. Rei will join you."

The command deck shook, and a distant boom sounded.

"Hurry!"

- - - - -

_She was elevated to the underground portion of the city, not clear to the surface. Beside her, her Brother was freed from his bonds, his Dreamer in tune with his desires._

_Summanus._

He is evil in a way that you cannot possibly comprehend, Dreamer Shinji. Byatis and Ithaqua merely opposed us; Summanus takes pleasure in pain and anguish.

Why is he here?

He felt the pain in my Brother's Dreamer, the one you name Rei.

I do not wish her to be in pain.

Then we shall stop Summanus.

Can I speak with Rei while we are one?

**I can hear you, Pilot Ikari. And I can hear her.**

Gun pods are worthless. You must use the Flow.

**I understand.**

_Summanus was a massive humanoid, faceless, but with four long tentacles sprouting from his back. His skin was bone-white, and covered with a thin layer of mucus._

_Beside her, her Brother raised a barrier, and summoned his Lance. She did the same, and touched the Dreamer's mind._

Brother. We shall move to place him between us, and I shall attempt to keep him immobile. You shall destroy him.

**Freedom**

Dreamer, my Brother is still unstable. Can your Dreamer Rei hold him to her will?

I have faith in her.

We had best make this quick, lest that faith be unfounded.

**FREEDOM**

_She moved quickly to the side, and wrapped the Flow around the Lance. She darted forward, and drove it into Summanus, but he turned, tearing it from her hand._

Envelop him!

_The Lance expanded, curved back on itself, and coiled around him. Zerogoki dashed forward, Lance held on high to strike._

_Summanus twitched, and Shogoki's Lance shattered, feeding itself back into the Flow. The energy in its pattern rippled outwards, damaging her armour and that of her Brother._

_And then three of Summanus' tentacles lashed out, wrapping themselves around her Brother._

_Rei screamed; the Dreamer's fear peaked in her mind, and the Flow responded. The tentacles were severed, torn away from her Brother, and she found herself locked in physical combat with Summanus. She picked him up, the terror-inspired Flow lending her strength, and smashed him to the ground._

_Her Brother was down; blood flowed from his wounds, and his Dreamer slept. And now Summanus' remaining tentacle wrapped itself around her arm._

_Pain etched every nerve in her arm, as the secretions on the tentacle burned through the armour, then started in on her skin. And she felt the pure, sadistic glee of Summanus, battering her mind. Her own Dreamer was teetering on the edge of madness; it was all she could do to hold him from the precipice._

_And now Zerogoki was rising again. She wrapped her arms around the vile creature, and held him against her. The pain was all over now, and the Dreamer cried out in anguish, but still she held the Old One. Through his pain and fear, the Dreamer called out to her._

Keep him still, and Rei can finish him off.

The Dreamer Rei sleeps; my Brother is free.

Zerogoki! Help us!

**FREEDOM**

He is not stable, Dreamer Shinji.

_She felt her Dreamer's mind reach out, through the link to her Brother._

Rei. We need you. You won't fail us. I have faith in you.

_And she felt the backlash of fear, horror, mistrust and betrayal._

The sleeper awakens.

_Her Brother's Lance reformed, and he smashed it down on Summanus' head, burying it clear down to his heart. And then the Lance returned to the Flow, its pattern's energy tearing Summanus to fragments and scattering his Soul on the winds._

- - - - -

The screaming died down over the headset. Misato stared at the screens in horror. Shinji's eyes were closed, as they had been throughout the battle, and the spasms that wracked his body as he cried out in terror had stilled.

Rei was curled into a fetal position, hands wrapped around her body, not touching the controls. But EVA-00 had fought, haltingly at first, then with more authority. And Rei had spoken only once in the battle.

Not spoken. Cried out, in a voice that had caused her heart to jump in her chest.

She had called out his name. Not in fear, not with concern. As a battle cry, that had rattled her soul.

"The target is destroyed."

She swallowed, and glanced over at Ritsuko. The blonde looked a bit logy, still under the influence of the AP drugs, but she was again functional.

"Send out recovery teams." Her voice was mechanical; the horror of the Old One was nothing compared to the terror that stirred inside her.

_And I share my apartment with these two. There's a happy thought._

"Entry plugs expelled. Recovery team en route.

- - - - -

Shinji awoke to find himself floating in liquid.

He panicked, and fought his way to the hatch. He kicked and punched it for long moments, before remembering the jettison. He smashed the button, and the hatch flew off. He fell from the plug to the ground, coughing up LCL until his lungs were clear.

"Rei!"

He staggered towards her plug, and worked the hatch. LCL sloshed around his legs as the plug drained, and he pulled the hatch open.

Rei lay on the control seat, curled into a ball. He reached for her, to pull her free.

His hand touched her.

She screamed. He found himself lying on his back, a good two meters from the plug, with no idea how he got there. He staggered to his feet, and ran back to the plug.

"Rei!"

She was still screaming. He gritted his teeth, and grabbed her wrist.

Whatever she had done last time, she didn't do this time, and her screams stopped. She stared at him, her eyes huge and luminescent against her pale skin.

He gently coaxed her from the plug. As soon as her feet touched ground, she jerked her arm from his grasp, and collapsed to the ground, head buried in her hands.

This time, he could see the tears, flowing around her fingers.

"It's okay, Rei. You did it. And you saved me."

She looked up at him, and the loneliness, despair, and fear in her eyes struck him to the core.

Then the mask slid back into place.

She stood, and straightened her plug suit.

"I did not wish you to die, Pilot Ikari. If that happened, I would have to do all the chores."


	6. New Kinds Of Fear

_Disclaimer _

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing; Ythogtha was created by Lin Carter._

* * *

He was in a village.

Small houses crowded the narrow streets. Everywhere he looked, there were cats. Sitting on windowsills, standing on barrels, perched on fences. Staring at him.

He wandered through the streets and roads of the village. The houses were of a wide variety of constructions, mostly old. In the sky above, he could see two moons.

He turned a corner, and saw a girl.

The pale bluish hair was tossed by the wind, and her red eyes met his with a startling amount of intensity. The mask was gone; Rei's eyes burned with loneliness and fear.

He stepped towards her. "Rei?"

She ran to him, wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. He hesitated, and put his arms around the slender girl. He could feel her tears on his shoulder, as her body was wracked by sobs.

"Rei...can you tell me what's wrong?"

She shook her head.

"This is a dream, isn't it? We're sharing a dream?" He hesitated. "Here, you can tell me."

"You are afraid. When I touch you, you retreat." She released him, and stepped back.

"The sleeper awakens."

With those words, she faded from view, and the orange armoured form of Zerogoki took her place. Shinji stepped back, horrified, tripped over a cat...

...And sat bolt upright in his futon, gasping.

He could still hear Rei sobbing in her room.

- - - - -

**Tail Kinker Presents**

** Fear **

**Chapter Six **

**New Kinds of Fear**

- - - - -

It had been six days since the battle against Summanus, and Ritsuko had finally summoned Shinji to her office.

He glanced around nervously; Ritsuko held three doctorates, in computer science, biochemistry and medicine. Her office looked quite schizophrenic. Computers in various states of repairs, medical charts, and odd bits of material were scattered about the work bench. The office was also liberally decorated with cats; he thought back to his dreams, and wondered if there was a connection. An ashtray sat on her desk, overflowing with lipstick-stained cigarette butts, and a cup of coffee, stone cold and growing a fine skim of mold, sat next to it.

Ritsuko herself was leaning against the workbench, holding another cup, this one fresh and steaming. She noted his glance at the desk, and grinned. "It's been a busy few days, and I haven't been in here much." She sipped her coffee, then said, "I've got a few things I want to discuss today, but we'll start with the important one. What do you know about EVA?"

Shinji thought about this. "Well, I've been told that they're giant robots built to fight the Old Ones."

"Nice try." Ritsuko grinned.

"They're not robots." Shinji looked down. "I kinda realized that the first time I piloted Shogoki."

"They are biomechanical constructs, developed by your father."

"You said, the first time I saw Shogoki, that Father invented her."

"Her?"

Shinji nodded. "Shogoki is female. I could feel that. Zerogoki is male. Shogoki called him her brother."

"Maybe that's where we went wrong," mused Ritsuko. "I knew they were somewhat alive, though not as we know life. But I didn't realize that they were alive and intelligent."

Shinji looked up. "You said that you didn't understand the technology that went into them?"

"Yes." Ritsuko sat down. "Take a seat."

He complied. She sipped her coffee again, and said, "Sixteen years ago, your parents were involved in an expedition to Antarctica. There, your father discovered a life-form. Even the fact that it was a life-form was at best a guess, as it was not composed of normal matter."

"Not normal matter?"

"No." Ritsuko shook her head. "Normal matter is composed of particles, except for light, which has properties of both particle and wave. This creature also had properties of particle and wave, but not the same way as light. It definitely had mass and volume, but it was impervious to most forms of analysis.

"But the team of scientists working on it managed to detach a sample. A small team, including your parents, were sent back to Tokyo with this sample. A day after they left, the base was destroyed by a massive explosion."

"Second Impact."

"Yes." Ritsuko grinned. "Theorists believe that Second Impact was caused by a meteor strike, but why it would land square on the base-camp of the Antarctic Expedition puzzles me."

"Could Second Impact have been caused by that...life-form?"

"Perhaps. But the fact is, there was only one survivor of Second Impact. A fourteen-year-old girl." Ritsuko stared down into her coffee. "It was two years before she could even speak again, and when she recovered, she said that she didn't remember the events of Second Impact at all."

Shinji paused, to process this information, then asked, "So what does that have to do with EVA?"

"Simple." Ritsuko pulled a cigarette out of the pack in her pocket, and lit it. "Your parents designed EVA by cloning the life-form. They grew the flesh over a metal skeleton, and added the armour as a means of control."

He jumped to his feet. "So they aren't robots at all!"

"In a way, they were meant to be. Your mother couldn't clone brain tissue, so they have complex computers to interface with the plug. Making the pilot the brain. And their skeletons are metal. So they are more like cyborgs than either pure life-forms or robots."

"But it doesn't work that way." Shinji shook his head. "They may not have brains, but they are intelligent. And Zerogoki is dangerously insane."

"We know that Unit Zero is...unstable; the first time we tried to activate it, it killed its pilot. The second time...Well, you saw how Rei came out of that."

"She wasn't so good after the third time, either."

Ritsuko raised her eyebrows. "At least she wasn't hospitalized."

"I guess." Shinji sighed.

"Somehow, you talked her through activation. How did you know to do so?"

"I'd fought with Shogoki twice before. I was doing badly, when I was trying to control her. Since then, I've found that I need to work with her."

"A partnership, not a master/slave relationship."

"Yeah."

Ritsuko turned to one of the computers, and tapped a key. Shinji gaped at the sight of himself, writhing in the plug and screaming. He took a step forward, and touched the screen.

"What the hell..."

"This was recorded from your fight with Summanus." Ritsuko sighed. "We added the plug video recorder after the second fight. Your battle with Ithaqua had been recorded, audio only, and you were screaming just as badly."

He staggered back a step.

"Tell me," asked Ritsuko. "Does this look like a partnership?"

He shook his head, numbly. "What about Rei?"

She tapped a key, cutting off the video. "Sure you want to see?"

"Yes." He looked at her. "I don't want to cause her that kind of pain."

She considered, then asked, "How are you and Rei getting along?"

"Well..." He looked down. "The last week has been kind of hard. She hasn't spoken to me at all. At least she isn't taking snipes at me any more."

Ritsuko tapped a key again, and the screen now showed the inside of Rei's plug. And the girl, curled up in fetal position.

"She's not screaming." Shinji looked relieved.

"She only spoke once through the entire battle, just before the end. I asked how you two--"

"_Shinji!_"

He jumped at the roar. Even at her angriest, Rei had never raised her voice; now, she howled as though all the Demons of Hell were on her tail. A cry of fear and rage. He shivered.

Ritsuko tapped the monitor, which now showed Rei curled back up. "Just after that, she rammed an energy lance into Summanus, and blew him to fragments." She turned off the monitor. "How does it feel to know that your fiancee is using your name as a battle cry?"

He shivered again. "She might just have been mad at me."

"Her sync rate jumped over one hundred percent. She was literally one with the EVA at that point."

- - - - -

"Doctor!" The intern looked up from his instruments. "We've got EEG activity. Lots of it!"

"What?" The doctor walked over. "That patient is just this side of being a houseplant."

"I know. But we've got massive beta and gamma spikes." He indicated the chart. "Here, and here. Delta levels have been creeping up, as well--" He broke off. "Massive delta spike."

"That's impossible. You can't have a delta spike during beta activity." He glanced up at the patient behind the glass. "Her eyes are still closed, and she's not moving. Your spikes must be artifacts."

The intern touched the self-diagnostic button. "No, Doctor. It's clean."

The girl's eyes snapped open.

- - - - -

Rei dropped the cup. It shattered at her feet, spraying her legs with scalding tea. She barely noticed.

"Ythogtha."

"Impossible." Fuyutsuki scowled at her. "Ythogtha lies in the Dreamlands, locked away from Earth."

"Ythogtha comes. He has entered the mind of a Sleeper."

Fuyutsuki considered, then picked up the telephone.

- - - - -

"Ikari."

"Gendo!" Fuyutsuki's voice was nervous. "Is there any record in the Book of Ythogtha ever coming to Earth?"

"I will check."

The Book was, in fact, a collection of scrolls. Gendo extracted one, unrolled it carefully.

"If Ythogtha comes to Earth, it will be by inhabiting the body of a Sleeper." Gendo considered. "I do not know what he will do. But I think it would be best to send an EVA to the surface. Sound evacuation, then launch EVA-00."

"EVA-01 has better sync rates, and they've just finished--"

"No." Gendo smiled. "If Ythogtha comes, I want our most powerful Dreamer to face him."

- - - - -

The evacuation alarm sounded.

Toji looked up in disgust. "Great. Perfect timing."

The flower vendor sighed. "At least they've started giving us enough warning."

"Yeah." Toji picked up the flowers he had just purchased. "There's a shelter under the hospital. I'll have time to get these to Chouko before the--"

An explosion rocked the street. Toji staggered, and turned to look.

The hospital was only two blocks away, and he could see smoke and flames leaping up from the fifth floor. "Oh, no...Chouko's room!"

He turned and ran towards the hospital. He could see the steel shutters covering the doors, and knew he wasn't going to make it before the building began to sink into the Geofront.

The shutters buckled, warped, and fell outward. Toji stopped cold in his tracks, and stared at his sister.

She stalked from the building with the air of a conquering queen. A hospital gown was loosely arranged around her, far too little protection against the cold of the autumn evening, but she showed no discomfort of any sort.

The building next to him emitted a sharp noise, like fingernails on chalkboard, and red lights started flashing. He leaped clear as two massive doors opened, to reveal an orange armoured behemoth.

"An Evangelion--?"

The EVA raised a gun pod, chambered a round, and sighted down on Chouko.

"No! _Bastard!"_ Toji charged the EVA, but a sudden blast caught it and him, and he blacked out.

- - - - -

"Sweet merciful God."

Misato stared at the carnage. EVA-00 was down, its armour fused and charred. Six buildings had been smashed by some sort of kinetic wave, far too powerful for EVA's fields to repel, and were starting to burn.

The command deck's hatch slid open, and Shinji and Ritsuko ran in. Ritsuko turned immediately, seated herself at her monitor station.

"MAGI are not reporting the wave pattern of an Old One. What the hell's going on?"

"That girl..." Shinji stared at the image of the girl on the monitor. "She's Toji's sister?"

"Suzuhara Chouko." Misato nodded. "Rei detected her."

"She's good at that." Shinji glanced over at the EVA's monitoring station. "Zerogoki is down for the count. I'd better get my plug suit on."

"_Nein_."

He turned, to see a slender girl with red-gold hair. She wore a red plug suit, and was fitting A20 clips to her head. She glanced up, and he gasped in recognition.

"You!" He pointed at her, jaw agape. "I dreamed of you!"

"_Der verrückte Idiot. Es gibt kein Bedürfnis nach Ihnen. Ich bin der höhere Pilot_." She smirked, then switched to Japanese. "You will sit and watch, as a superior pilot destroys this threat."

"EVA-02 fully charged, and ready to deploy." Ritsuko turned to the girl. "Asuka. To your entry plug."

The girl flashed him a thumbs up, and ran off.

"Catapult charged."

"Launch tube four open, and confirmed clear by visual inspection."

"Insert the plug."

"A20 Nerve link established."

"No time for mistakes, people." Ritsuko tapped her controls. "A20 Nerve stimulation active."

"Zero harmonics."

"Clear to catapult four."

Shinji ran to the viewport, and looked into the EVA pen. A red Evangelion had joined his own in the pen, and was being moved to the catapult.

"Catapult locks engaged."

"Unit Two, Launch!"

It was the first time he'd witnessed an EVA launch. The powerful electromagnetic catapult arced fiercely around the EVA, and it was blasted upwards. Shinji winced, and for once, was grateful for LCL; the acceleration had to exceed ten gees.

"EVA-02 has reached the surface."

"_Ist gut_. Gun pod ready." The cockpit video recorder showed Asuka's face, the redhead grinning fiercely.

"Gun pods won't work."

"Hm?" Misato turned to look at the boy.

"I keep telling you people that...the gun pods are worthless."

She considered this, then said, "Suit up and proceed to your plug."

- - - - -

Shinji fought down the panic as the plug flooded. It shifted on its cams, and was rotated into position. He tapped a control on the console, and a screen, projected into the LCL and seeming to float in mid-air, showed the feed from EVA-02.

Asuka's teeth were clenched, her hands working the controls. Shinji could only assume that Asuka was hammering away at Chouko with the gun pod.

"Asuka! The gun pod will not work."

"What am I supposed to use?" Asuka snarled. "I don't have any other weapons."

Ritsuko's face appeared on another screen. "Shinji. She doesn't have the experience that you or Rei have. She doesn't know--"

"There's nothing I need to know!" Asuka's face purpled in rage. "I'm the best pilot! Das äußerste! Nothing that that boy can teach me--"

**She does not yet Dream.**

"Ritsuko! Have you started A20?"

"Not yet, Shinji. We're maneuvering you to the catapult now."

Shinji closed his eyes.

_Shogoki._

Nothing.

"Damn, she's not answering me! Ritsuko, start the A20 Nerve induction."

Misato broke in. "Not yet, Shinji."

"But--"

"Orders."

He bit down his fear and shame. "Aye, ma'am."

**I cannot be free, without the Dream.**

"It's not Shogoki I'm hearing...it's Asuka's EVA!"

"Catapult locks engaged."

"EVA-01 still at sixty percent and charging."

He closed his eyes, and concentrated, but caught nothing more from EVA-02.

"Starting A20 Nerve induction."

"Charge complete."

"Command interface set to Japanese language."

The colours swirled around him, and the plug seemed to melt away. He shuddered.

"Route to surface confirmed clear by visual inspection."

"EVA-01, launch!"

The EVA lurched, and rocketed towards the surface. A straight shot this time, no sideways lurching, just the bone-crushing acceleration, muted by the LCL. The EVA came to a sudden halt, and the doors swung open. He stepped out into the daylight.

"Red harmonics, pilot wave."

"Shinji! Your sync rate is dropping."

"I'll try to adjust." He walked the EVA out, and turned the corner to face the battle.

EVA-02 ejected its empty clip, slammed another into place, and chambered a round.

_Shogoki._

Nothing. Shinji winced; he couldn't fight alone!

EVA-02 blasted away again; it seemed almost comical, the massive EVA blazing away on full automatic at a half-naked twelve-year-old girl. But the comedy vanished with the smoke-cloud, as Chouko walked through the firestorm, completely unharmed.

_Shogoki!_

Still nothing.

A screen popped up; Rei's face this time. "Ikari."

"Rei! Are you all right?"

"I am unable to continue to fight. Zerogoki is immobilized."

"I can't sync with Shogoki."

"Zerogoki tells me you are afraid." Her eyes burned into his, and he felt shame. "Shogoki is withdrawn from you, because you fear her."

"How can I not?"

But the screen had closed. He squeezed his eyes shut.

_I'm not afraid_. It was a mantra. _I am not afraid. The Old One will destroy the Father._

A scream. His eyes snapped open. EVA-02 was standing bolt upright, as though clenched in a giant fist. On the screen, Asuka was shaking in terror, screaming.

"Asuka!" He leaned forward. "You need to--"

The screen cut off, and EVA-02 collapsed to the ground.

"No..."

Chouko turned, to face him.

And warped.

Her skin bulged, twisted, cracked and peeled off in strips, as a nightmare form emerged. It grew rapidly, until it was almost as tall as Shogoki. A beard of tentacles sprouted from its face, just below a single staring eye. Massive batlike wings unfurled, and it reached upward towards the heavens with muscular, green scaled arms.

- - - - -

"My God." Fuyutsuki stared at the monitor. "Is that--"

"No. It is not him." Gendo shook his head. "But it will lead us to him." He touched a control, and Shinji appeared. "Pilot Ikari. Do not engage the Old One. Allow it to pass unharmed."

"I--"

"You heard the order!" Misato broke in on the same channel.

"Yes, ma'am."

- - - - -

Shinji stepped back, allowing the Old One to pass. It stared at him, then stepped past, heading for the sea.

"Why are we letting it go?"

_It goes to R'lyeh._

"Shogoki?"

_Yes, Dreamer. My Brother's Dreamer sleeps._

"Rei--"

_No. Zerogoki sleeps. The Dreamer Rei is awake, but without Zerogoki, she is merely a Dreamer. My other Brother is imprisoned, but his Dreamer sleeps._

"We awoke Rei once. Can we do it with Asuka?"

_Not while you fear us._

"I..." He looked down. "I'm afraid of what happens to me."

_Your shell is not part of the Dream._

"Maybe not. But I..." He trailed off.

_You cannot help the fear. It is the survival instinct. But it matters not. The sleeper awakens._

EVA-02 was standing up. He glanced over to his comm board, but EVA-02 was not transmitting. "Ritsuko, can you patch me into EVA-02's plug video recorder?"

"Let me check." There was a pause. "I can do it, but Misato recommends against it."

"Is it an order?"

Misato's voice came on. "No, but--"

"I'll risk it. Patch me in." The screen reappeared, and he recoiled in shock.

Asuka was in a screaming panic.

"EVA-02 is active again."

"Asuka, do not engage. Repeat--"

It didn't matter. EVA-02 turned, and charged Ythogtha. The Old One turned, smashing EVA-02 to the ground with a careless wave of the hand.

EVA-02 rolled to its feet, its umbilical severed.

"Unit Two is on backup power. Five minutes remain."

She charged, an energy Lance forming in the EVA's hands, but it dissolved just as the tip reached Ythogtha.

_Ythogtha is powerful with the Flow. The Lance will not help._

Asuka's screams of berserk rage continued to fill the cockpit.

"Asuka," he yelled. "You need--"

She continued to scream.

_She is deep in the Dream, Shinji. She cannot hear us._

"Then I need--"

_No...not while you fear me. I will not allow it!_

Ythogtha grabbed EVA-02, and pinned it against a building. Four tentacles smashed into its armour, and began tearing it apart.

"Shinji!" Misato again. "Fuck the orders. Take that thing down before it kills Asuka!"

"Belay that order, Katsuragi!"

"No!" The rage in Misato's voice matched that in his father's. "I am the officer in command of this operation. Shinji, take it down!"

"I can't!" Panic crept into his voice. "I can't sync up!"

"Dammit, Asuka is gonna die in front of your eyes if you don't do something!"

"Pilot Ikari." Rei, on another screen. "Do not fear the Dream."

He closed his eyes. "But..."

"You show weakness."

He bowed his head, until it touched the console.

"You are a failure."

"No..."

Rei continued remorselessly. "You are a coward."

"No!"

"You are worthless."

"NO!"

Rage dispelled fear, and he cast himself heedlessly into the Dream.

- - - - -

_Her Brother hung on the edge of death._

_Ythogtha. Beast of the Black Lake. Dispelled from this Realm, banished to the Dreamlands. Returned how, she did not know. But he was killing her Brother._

_The Lance would not work; she raised her mental defenses against Ythogtha's psychic attacks, and then charged in, the battle steel of her armour crushing Ythogtha's head with one massive punch._

_Not that this killed him; mere matter could not harm an Old One._

_Ythogtha dropped her Brother, and turned to face her. Within her, the Dreamer, fully surrendered to her, cried out, and the Barrier snapped into existence._

_But Ythogtha was the most powerful within the Flow of any opponent that she had faced; he touched the Barrier, and it eroded almost instantly._

_She reached out, grasped him, and sent a kinetic blast through his frame, knocking him back fifty meters. He plowed through one of the strange buildings, smashing it in his wake, then stood again._

He is proof against any physical attack, as well as the Flow.

But you're not made of real matter. Not like the armour.

But the armour gives you the ability to direct me. Without the Dreamer, I have no purpose, and will not move.

_The Dreamer gave a thought, and the armour on her left hand was blasted free. She felt it numb._

Purpose? Dreamer and Shogoki? We are more than that.

_She flexed the freed arm. _We are not one. We are two.

But we act as one.

_She strode forward, and swung the fist. Ythogtha raised an arm to parry, and both howled with pain at the contact._

We cancel each other!

This is dangerous, Dreamer; either or both of us can be cast on the winds.

If we do not do this, Nigoki will die. Zerogoki will die. And Father will die.

Purpose.

_She swung again; this time, when Ythogtha parried, she grasped his arm firmly, and reversed her Flow._

_Ythogtha screamed._

_She drew the Flow from him, and he shrunk. His skull collapsed in on itself, his tentacles withered and dessicated. His wings collapsed, dissolving into puddles of liquid, and still he shrank._

Dreamer! We have drawn too much of the Flow!

We can channel this.

_The armour began to burn. The Flow fed back, into its energy supply, and pieces began to fall off. The back plate fell free, and her wings, so long trapped, spread out to the sky. _

_And still, Ythogtha screamed._

_The umbilical that powered her armour burned, chaotic flame dancing along its length. The helmet dissolved away, and her jaws opened for the first time._

_She roared her blood fury at the sky, as Ythogtha collapsed, his Soul banished back to the Dreamlands._

- - - - -

The rain in his face awoke him. Toji groaned, sat up and looked around.

A sudden roar drew his attention. Standing practically on top of him was a winged monstrosity. Its cloven hooves dug into the pavement, and its hands, tipped with massive bone-white talons, were outspread. He scrabbled backward, terror striking to the core, as it spread its wings and roared to the sky.

Then saw the body.

At the feet of the creature was his sister. Her skin was burned, her arms and legs twisted to impossible angles. He cried out his grief, then looked up at the monster, rage building.

Then he saw it. One one arm, the purple and green armour, bearing the words EVA-01.

"That's EVA..." Horror dawned in him. "Shinji..."

He staggered to his feet, and walked towards his sister's body. He knelt next to her, his tears flowing faster than the rain.

"Shinji...I will kill you." He clenched a fist. "This I swear."

- - - - -

Maya knelt over a pool of vomit, but Misato could not spare the time to sympathize. She was too busy keeping her own gorge under control.

"Dispatch recovery. Get EVA-01 in first, and for God's sake, get it covered up." She glanced over at Ritsuko. "How long have you known about this?"

"Since the beginning."

Misato strode across the command deck, and grabbed her, throwing her up against the wall. "And why the _fuck_ did you not think to tell me?" She bashed the blonde's head against the wall. "Do you not realize what that is?"

"I know better than you what it is." She smiled down at Misato. "I forgive you your anger, Misato. I knew that I would have to face it eventually. But I had my orders."

Misato dropped her, and turned. "Orders!" The phone rang, and she grabbed the receiver. "Command deck!"

"Captain Katsuragi." Ikari's voice was cold. "Please report to my office."

"Aye, sir."

She gently set the phone on the cradle, then turned to Ritsuko. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Ritsuko rubbed her head. "At least one of us had the courage to violate orders to do what was right."

"When I get back, I'll buy you a beer." She sighed. "That is, assuming I still have a job when I get back."


	7. All In Their Name

_Disclaimer _

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing._

* * *

Toji knelt before the shrine, and placed the picture of Chouko next to that of his mother. He clapped twice, and bowed his head.

_I'm sorry, Mom. I couldn't protect her. I have to ask you to look after her now._

Tears welled in his eyes.

_I failed her._

He wiped his eyes, then pulled the small box from below the shrine. He opened it, extracted a small bundle, and unwrapped it. The tanto had been all that his mother had brought to her marriage; her parents had disowned her. He drew the blade, and examined the edge carefully.

_I won't fail her again._

- - - - -

**Tail Kinker Presents**

**Fear**

**Chapter Seven:**

**All In Their Name**

- - - - -

School had become a slow torture for Shinji.

His head rested against one palm, the hand covering his ear. At the head of the class, the teacher droned on about Second Impact.

"The meteor struck near a chain of mountains in Antarctica," said the teacher. "The observers who witnessed it fall stated that if it were not for the presence of those mountains, they would all have been killed."

I thought Ritsuko said only one person survived?

"The resulting climate shift caused widespread changes in weather patterns, and the melting of both polar ice caps. Lowlands throughout the world were flooded, great cities such as Tokyo itself were completely submerged.

"Tomorrow, we shall examine the societal changes caused by these events."

Shinji tuned the rest of the teacher's words out. Already, he could tell that the teacher's version of Second Impact did not mesh with what he'd learned from Doctor Akagi. The sudden burst of conversation told him that the teacher had finally left the room.

"All right, keep it down to a dull roar!" Horaki, the class rep, spoke loudly enough to be heard over the din of voices.

A hand fell on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Suzuhara Toji staring down at him.

"Ikari." Toji leaned closer. "I need to talk to you after class."

Shinji sighed. He'd made a habit of avoiding the taller boy; their first meeting had been less than auspicious. "Misato wants me to proceed directly home after class."

Toji's grip on his shoulder tightened painfully. "It is very important."

"Hey!" Asuka grabbed Toji's wrist, and pulled it back. "Leave the poor boy alone!"

Toji scowled at her. "Stay out of this, Red."

"My name is Asuka." She returned the scowl. "Ikari is a NERV Pilot. You will treat him with the respect he deserves."

Toji yanked his hand free. "Don't worry. I certainly intend to do so." He turned, and stalked off.

Shinji breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Asuka."

"Someone's gotta watch out for you," said Asuka. "You're too much of a wimp to do so by yourself."

"Gee. Thanks."

"Why they chose a weakling coward like you to be a Pilot, I'll never know. I can just tell I'm gonna be spending all my time looking out for you." She smirked. "And who knows? Maybe they'll assign me to train you."

"Train?"

"Yep. Who better for you to learn from than the best?"

- - - - -

"Ikari."

Shinji winced. He'd thought he'd gotten away clean, but it seemed that Toji had lain in wait for him. The taller boy stepped out of the alleyway, and stood, arms crossed. He turned to face him, and said, "Yeah, Suzuhara?"

"You killed my sister in your last battle."

"She was already dead, Toji." Shinji had not been looking forward to this.

"You lie!" He screamed the accusation. "I saw her up and walking. I saw her alive! And then you killed her." He stalked up to Shinji, arms still crossed.

"Didn't you see her change? Didn't you see the monster that she became?" Shinji was yelling now. "She was going to kill Asuka!"

"What do you care about her?" Toji's face was dark with rage. "You two can't even stand each other." Tears rolled down his face; he ignored them. "Chouko was worth two of her!"

"She had become an Old One. She knocked out Rei, knocked out Asuka, and was going to kill me! I had to stop her! She would have killed you!"

"Liar!" Toji swung wildly. Shinji stepped back, dodging the shot, then saw the gleam of metal in Toji's other hand. The tanto snapped forward, slashing across his belly. Blood spurted from the wound; he clapped his hand across the cut, trying to staunch the flow.

Toji took a step forward, and raised the blade, levelling it with Shinji's neck. "For my sister."

A petite hand clamped around Toji's wrist; he gasped, and dropped the tanto.

"Attacking a Pilot is unwise." Rei's voice was more chilling than normal.

"Fuck you, you cold--"

Rei snapped around, her arm extending as she turned. She twisted his wrist, and Toji fell flat on his back. He rolled back to a standing position, and raised his fists.

Rei stepped in, one hand snapping forward, open palmed. The heel of her hand struck just above his nose, and his head snapped back comically. His eyes glazed, and he collapsed to his knees, then face down into the ground.

Belatedly, two security guards burst on the scene. One had his pistol free, but the other had his hand on the gun forcing it down.

"The situation is under control," said Rei. "I have done your jobs for you."

The bigger man re-holstered his pistol and said, "Sorry we were a bit slow on the uptake. I expect you to report that to Commander Ikari."

"I would prefer not to. Your reaction time was acceptable; I merely happened to be faster." Rei paused, then turned to face Shinji. "How badly are you injured?"

He moved his hand, pulled open his shirt. "Hurts like hell...but I don't think he did any real damage." He touched the wound, and winced.

"I am glad." Rei knelt, and helped him up. "If we had needed to take you to the hospital, it would have delayed our briefing."

- - - - -

Rei had cleaned and bandaged his wound in the same way she did everything - efficient, methodical and mechanical. Now, he sat between her and Asuka on the sofa, waiting for Misato.

Asuka glanced down at the note. "She said she'd be here promptly at six. Here it is six-fifteen! No German would be so imprecise!" She scoffed. "Don't you Japanese know how to do anything with precision?"

"We prefer manners," Rei said quietly.

"Oh, so they did equip you with a voice box, eh?" Asuka grinned. "Silly thing to include in a mannequin."

Shinji bowed his head, and prayed that Rei would not retaliate. After seeing how quickly - effortlessly - she'd taken down Toji, he actively feared for the red-head's life.

But Rei did not reply to the taunt, merely sipped her tea. That had been Shinji's attempt to keep peace in the apartment, but it had failed.

Asuka stared down at the tea in disgust. "This tea is green!"

"It is supposed to be."

"And it smells funny!" She looked around. "Is there any beer in the house?"

Shinji snorted into his tea.

"You are under-age," stated Rei.

"What the heck does that mean?"

"In Japan, you must be sixteen to consume alcohol." Neither her expression nor her tone was disapproving, but nonetheless, it was clear that Rei did not care for Asuka. "You are not yet sixteen."

"I'm only half Japanese!"

"You are in Japan."

Asuka must have realized that she was doomed to lose this argument, so she changed her tack. "Why the heck am I wasting time here, anyway?"

"Captain Katsuragi requested your presence."

"Thank you." She scowled. "I mean, what's this 'special briefing' all about, anyway?"

"All that Captain Katsuragi told me is that it relates to training."

"Aha!" Asuka made a triumphant fist. "That explains it! I'm here to properly train you two in the operation of EVA!"

"I find that unlikely."

"It should be obvious!" She pointed at Shinji. "He's a weak little boy, and needs training." She then pointed at Rei. "And you were taken out in seconds, by a twelve-year-old girl!"

Rei narrowed her eyes. "May I remind you that you have failed to destroy the only Old One that you have faced? Whereas I have faced two, and defeated one?"

"Oh, sure! And Shinji had to save your butt against the last one!" Asuka paused, recalling that she, too, had had to be rescued by Shinji.

Rei did not pause. "Pilot Ikari has demonstrated that he is the superior pilot. Why should he be forced to slow down to your level?"

"I have been trained in the operation of EVA since I was eight years old!"

"Six years wasted."

Asuka's face now matched her hair; she opened her mouth to respond, but Shinji finally spoke up. "That's enough!"

His voice cut across the argument; both girls turned to stare at him, Asuka's face showing contempt, Rei's showing nothing.

"We'll find out what this is about when Misato returns." He picked up his tea again.

"I regret the harsh words I used yesterday, Pilot Ikari. I spoke in haste."

Shinji blinked. "That's all right, Rei. I understand why you did it."

"I should have chosen better, to properly convey my opinion."

He gulped his tea, hoping it would treat the frostbite.

"I'm home!" Misato's voice floated in from the hallway.

"Welcome back." Shinji and Rei chorused. Shinji jumped slightly, and Asuka chuckled.

"Well, everyone's cosy, I see!" Misato dropped a folder on the dining room table as she passed through, then sat down on an armchair. "So let's get to the meat and bones of the briefing, shall we?

"Commander Ikari has informed me that we can expect an Old One attack in just over two weeks' time. He believes that two Old Ones will attack simultaneously. This is the first time that we've had warning of such an attack."

"How did he learn this?" asked Rei.

"He said he found a prophecy in some book." Misato waved it away as irrelevant. "Something astrological or such."

"Two?" Shinji frowned. "We needed all three EVA to deal with one, the last time."

"There's a good reason for that. Training protocols have shown remarkably deficient. We simply didn't know the proper way to handle EVA."

"I knew it!" Asuka jumped up. "I knew it! You need me to correct the deficiencies in pilot training! Right? Well, I'm ready, willing and able!"

"Good! I'm glad you're so enthusiastic." Misato grinned. "Because, starting tomorrow, you and Rei will begin training under Pilot Ikari's direction."

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"_Das ist Immoglich!_" Asuka shook her head. "You are joking with me, right? This is all some big joke at my expense!" 

"I'm afraid not. You were trained as best we knew how." Misato sighed. "Unfortunately, we simply didn't know that we were training you all wrong. Now, Shinji will have to correct that."

"Why him?" Asuka's voice was unsteady. "Why him?"

Rei's voice was perfectly level. "Pilot Ikari managed a thirty-nine percent sync ratio on his first try. He has consistently demonstrated his ability in battle. And he has already assisted me in my piloting."

"No!" Asuka turned, climbed over the sofa back, and stormed into the bathroom. "I refuse! _Immoglich!_" 

- - - - -

Shinji stood on the balcony, staring down over the railing at the ground.

Fifteen stories. Two meters per story, thirty meters total. One point seven five seconds at nine point eight meters per second acceleration, discounting air resistance.

Surely he couldn't change his mind in that space of time.

"What's on your mind?" Misato walked up and leaned on the rail beside him. She held a beer can in one hand, still sealed.

He sighed. "Is the universe out to get me?"

Misato chuckled, and said, "Probably. It's after everyone else; why leave you out?"

"I could handle being engaged to Rei. It's a stupid idea, but by the time we're old enough to legally marry, we'll also be old enough to say no." He wished he had something in hand, a pebble or a bottle cap; he wanted to throw something. "I could handle becoming a Pilot, but I figured I'd be able to be friends with my fellow pilots. But one is my fiancée, who hates my guts, and the other has just been humiliated because of me."

Misato considered his words. "Things just keep getting worse, is what you're saying?"

"Yeah."

Misato was silent for a moment, then said, "I know you don't want me talking about you and Rei. But I think you're being too hard on her. As for Asuka..." She sighed, and cracked her beer. "You're right that this is going to be hard on both of you. But try to see it from her point of view."

"I _do _see it from her point of view!" Shinji turned to face his guardian. "Her point of view is that I'm a spineless wimp, who has the gall to think I'm better than her!" 

"You _are_ better than her."

"And that's going to make her even madder!" Shinji shook his head. "Why me? Rei could probably train her, too."

"You're also going to be training Rei."

"We both know what Rei thinks of me! You heard her. A weak, worthless failure!"

"Well, regardless, these are your orders. They come from your father, but I agree with him." Misato paused to take a long pull from the beer. "Tomorrow, you will start training the girls. Asuka will be staying here until her training is complete."

"Captain Katsuragi." Rei stepped onto the balcony.

"Yeah?"

"If Asuka will be staying here, where will she be sleeping?"

Misato shrugged. "Probably in your room."

"In that event, may I move my futon onto this balcony?"

Misato grinned. "You don't like her, do you?"

Rei paused, then said, "I find that her overconfidence is abrasive."

"Fine." Misato's grin widened. "You can move your futon into Shinji's room."

"Misato!" Shinji gaped at her.

Rei considered then nodded. "That will be acceptable." She glanced over at Shinji. "I trust you will refrain from waking me, should you have another nightmare?"

- - - - -

Shinji knocked hesitantly on the bathroom door. "Asuka. Can I come in?"

There was no answer from within. Shinji glanced over at Misato and Rei, then back to the door, and knocked again. "Asuka!"

Still no answer.

"She is not unclothed." Rei opened her eyes. "If you walk in, she will have no reason to harm you."

"How do you know?"

"Call it female intuition," said Misato.

Shinji opened the bathroom door, and stepped in, closing it behind him. Asuka was sitting on the stool, arms wrapped around her legs. Shinji sat down next to her, on the floor.

"Go away."

"Asuka, this wasn't my idea."

Asuka remained silent, just hugged her knees closer to her.

Shinji decided to take another tack. "Why do you pilot EVA?"

Still nothing. He sighed, and stood.

"Why do you?"

He paused, and looked down at the redhead. "I don't know...Maybe because it makes me feel like I'm needed?"

She shook her head angrily. "Don't lie to me, Ikari! If that were why, you wouldn't be here talking to me."

He sighed, and sat back down. "I don't know if I want to talk about--"

"Don't expect me to talk about it, then!" Her anger was unabated. "You want to talk with me, you're gonna have to actually

talk _with _me." 

He hesitated, then blurted out, "I was afraid."

Whatever she was expecting, this was clearly not it.

"It was the first time my father had said anything kind to me in nine years. I was afraid that I'd let him down. It was the first time I'd seen Rei, and she was all bandaged up, and they were going to send her out to fight anyway."

"You were afraid that she'd get hurt?"

"No. I was afraid that she'd think I was a coward." His head dropped as he said it.

Asuka sat beside him, quiet again, then asked, "So why do you still do it?"

"Because I'm afraid to let Rei, Misato or Doctor Akagi down."

They sat silently for a while, then Asuka offered, "Wanna know why I pilot?"

"If you want to tell me."

"You told me your story. It's only fair." But she hesitated a long moment before beginning. "My mother wanted me to pilot EVA."

"You're doing this for someone else?"

"Not really" She sighed, and shuffled her feet. "Mutti designed the A20 clips. She helped design EVA-02. She wanted me to pilot it. But..." She paused again, and swallowed. "As I grew older, she...changed. She stopped caring about me so much. I threw myself into piloting, trying to get her attention. But it didn't work, and now she's gone." Asuka sniffed, and wiped a tear away. "Now it's all I have. EVA, and nothing else. I'm still trying to prove to Mutti that I can be what she wanted me to be." She glanced up at him. "But if you tell anyone this, I'll rip your balls off and stuff them down your throat. Got it?"

He grinned, a bit unsteadily. "Yeah. It's only fair."

Asuka stood up. "All right. I'm ready to start my training."

- - - - -

"They're _alive?_" 

Misato nodded. "I only found out after the last battle. Without the armour, they're pretty nasty looking."

"The important thing to remember," said Shinji, "is that they have their own needs and wants. They're willing to help us, but in exchange, they want our help."

"Ours?" Asuka shook her head. "Ours as in the Pilots, or ours as in Humanity?"

"I haven't quite worked that out yet." Shinji sighed. "Shogoki calls us the Dreamers."

"So does your father," added Misato.

"Really?" He grinned. "Well, I heard it first from Shogoki, and I trust her more than Dad right now. Zerogoki has only said one word to me." He glanced over at Rei. "Has he said anything more to you?"

"No." Rei shook her head. "Shogoki is more communicative with me than my own EVA."

Asuka scowled. "Zerogoki, Shogoki--why not just call them Unit Zero, Unit One?"

Shinji leaned forward. "I think that part of what they want is recognition. Like us, their Pilots. They want to feel wanted. We have that recognition, but the EVA are treated as...hardware." He pointed at Asuka. "You have to name your EVA."

"Name it?"

"Soldiers give their rifles names. Pilots give their airplanes names. But the big difference is that unless your EVA wants to help you, you will never be more than just a Pilot. You will not Dream."

"...I have dreams." Asuka shuddered. "Bad dreams."

"It's not the same." He jabbed at her with the finger. "Give him a name."

"How do you know it's a him?"

"Shogoki calls him her Brother."

"Okay. You got a simple thing going on, I'll follow it and call him Nigoki." Asuka smirked. "That was easy!"

"Do you think of him as Nigoki, or still as Unit Two?" Rei asked quietly.

Asuka's silence was answer enough.

"Captain Katsuragi."

"So formal." Misato giggled. "You're letting this instructor business go to your head. What do you need?"

"A20 clips. Can we use them here?"

"I suppose so. Why? They aren't much use outside of LCL."

"I am thinking that we should wear them to bed. I've learned some stuff, from dreams." He snorted. "Ended up with more questions than answers, though."

"Well, I'll see what I can do. Probably won't have too much trouble."

Asuka reached into her purse, and pulled out four. Shinji gaped.

"Where did--"

"These are the prototypes." She grinned weakly. "I've kept them since before Mutti died. There's only four, but one apiece should work for what you have planned."

- - - - -

Rather than the T-shirt she was wont to wear to bed, Rei had pulled on a man's dress shirt. It did not make her appear any more modest, but he doubted that that was her goal. Modesty was a nonissue to the albino girl.

Shinji dropped her futon next to his, careful to leave at least a half-meter gap between the two.

"That is an inefficient use of space."

He glanced over. "If it's all the same to you, I don't want us to accidentally touch in the night." He winced. "It's obvious that you would prefer I don't touch you."

"And it is obvious that you do not want to touch me, either."

"That's not it. I mean--" He sighed. "Whenever I touch you, you panic. I don't want to hurt you."

Rei stepped up to him, and wrapped a hand around his wrist. He flinched slightly, then looked up at her face. It was still calm.

"You retreat." A change came over her face, one that he would never have seen a month ago. "You fear me."

"I guess I do. I'm sorry."

"There is no need to be sorry. I have not been kind to you." The mask slipped back on, and she released him. "There has been no reason for me to be so."

- - - - -

Before him stood a squalling monstrosity. Hundreds of ropy tentacles thrashed about, dozens of eyes stared from the mass, and many gaping mouths filled with sharp teeth gnashed randomly.

Before the creature stood three people. Rei. Asuka. His mother.

He took a step towards his mother, but before he could take another, a tentacle gently wrapped around her, and she was absorbed into the creature.

"Mom!"

Rei turned to look at him. "Ia! Shub-Niggurath!"

A second tentacle descended, wrapped around Asuka. She leaped for it, almost joyously, and dissolved into it as well.

Shinji ran for the creature, tears welling in his eyes.

A third tentacle now dropped down, and Rei turned to the creature. She lifted both arms, as it wrapped around her. "Ia...Zy'tre Shub-Niggurath..."

Her voice was quiet, but it awoke him nonetheless. He opened his eyes, looked blearily in Rei's direction.

Sweat beaded her face, and her head shook spastically. She trembled, kicking off her sheets.

"Rei?"

"_Shub-Niggurath itchulhath nathram bigor'a..._" Her voice rose, cracking. He shuddered. The words had no meaning, but he could see tears in the corners of her eyes. He reached for her, then paused.

A nightmare...it's not just me or Asuka. She has them, too. She shared one with me before...

"_Zy'tre Shub-Niggurath itchulhath!_" 

His indecision faded; the girl's face was screwed up, as though she was about to scream. He shifted over to her futon, and put an arm on her shoulder. "Rei. Wake up."

She rolled towards him, and threw an arm over him, pulling him into her. Her face buried in his shirt, she held him close as sobs wracked her frame. He hesitated again, then put an arm around her and held her until her sobs faded.

She looked up at him, her eyes unshielded. Pain and fear sang in those eyes, and a deep loneliness. She pushed him away suddenly, retreating to the far side of the room, and huddled against the wall, shuddering.

"I'm sorry, Rei." He looked down again. "You were having a nightmare."

She looked up at him. The mask was still off, and he felt a stab of shame. She composed herself, and moved back to her futon.

"Thank you."

She reached out, and put a hand on his. "You did not retreat."


	8. Hopes Turn To Black

_Disclaimer _

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing._

* * *

Ryogi Kaji slid the small box across the desk. "Here it is. Smuggled it in in EVA-02, but I haven't had a chance to recover it before then." 

"That was unwise." Gendo glared at Kaji from behind his hands. "EVA-02 was deployed for battle within minutes of its arrival. It could have been destroyed, the book lost."

"There was no other way for me to conceal it. EVA-02 was the only place off-limits to search teams. If it had been discovered, it would have been lost as well."

Gendo considered this, then stated, "Your performance is acceptable. The book was not lost."

He opened the box, and withdrew the book. It was old, its paper brittle, and its binding cracked and damaged. The cover was of leather, bound with a strap and buckle.

Kaji chuckled. "Why you had to have this one is beyond me."

"My scrolls are incomplete. I needed the entire book."

"You can pick up a copy at your local occult bookseller's."

Gendo looked up. "A simple forgery, building on the famous name, and relating to Babylonian mythology." One hand rested lightly on his prize.

"This is the oldest-known copy of the true Necronomicon."

- - - - -

**Tail Kinker Presents **

**Fear **

**Chapter Eight **

**Hopes Turn To Black**

- - - - -

Asuka looked like death warmed over.

She staggered out of her room, her cutoff jeans and T-shirt soaked with sweat, and poured a cup of coffee. She collapsed into a chair at the dining room table, and sipped the coffee.

Shinji didn't feel much better than Asuka looked. His own coffee was halfway done, and he had started into his breakfast.

Rei set a bowl of miso in front of Asuka, then sat down to her own. Asuka looked at the bowl.

"What the hell is this?"

"Miso." Rei picked up her bowl and sipped her own.

"Looks like soup."

"It is soup."

"Soup for breakfast? What the hell is wrong with you?" Asuka was grumpier than usual. "What about bacon? Eggs? Toast?"

"I am a vegetarian," said Rei. "I have, however, prepared a fish miso for you and Shinji."

"And there's bread for toast on the counter," offered Shinji.

"You have been in Japan for almost a week," said Rei. "I would expect that you have had a chance to familiarize yourself with our culture."

Asuka looked down. "When I was at my own apartment, I had bacon and eggs for breakfast. Not soup!" She looked up at Rei. "Since you make a different soup for Shinji and me, surely you can make us bacon and eggs, too!"

Rei visibly recoiled at the suggestion.

"No? Then I will make my own breakfast!" She snorted down at the bowl. "Soup!"

"There is a saying in your country: _Andere Länder, andere Sitten._" Rei's eyes narrowed. "I believe that we would put it: The nail that sticks up gets pounded down."

"Are you threatening me, Wonder Girl? Because if so, you're gonna get a shut-up sandwich!"

"Asuka."

"_What?_"

Shinji flinched at the redhead's shout. "You're still wearing your A20 clip."

"Uh?" She reached up and detached the clip from her hair, and looked at it. "Oh."

"Bad dreams last night?"

"What the hell business is it of yours?"

"Pilot Ikari has been placed in charge of your training," Rei reminded her. "If he feels the need to ask about your dreams, the most objection that you can make is to ask if it is related to your training."

"That's what I did ask!"

"You could have been more polite."

"Shut up." She turned back to Shinji. "Well? Is it about training?"

"Yes."

"Then yes. I had bad dreams. And I do not wish to discuss them with you." She picked up her coffee again.

"Dreams about being eaten by a monster?"

She slammed her cup down on the table, sloshing coffee onto the table, then reached across the table to grab his collar. "Is that why you had us wear A20 clips? So you could invade my privacy?"

"I had the same dream," said Rei. Asuka dropped Shinji, and turned to face the albino girl, shock on her face.

"You..." She swallowed. "You saw my dream as well?"

"I believe it was a shared dream."

"What was that monster?"

"I believe it was an Old One." Rei did not drink coffee; she sipped her tea. "If I recall the dream properly, all of us were consumed by an Old One called Shub-Niggurath."

"You, me, Shinji, and Mutti--"

"No." Rei glanced over to Shinji. "Who did you see?"

"Ummm..." Shinji looked down. "You, Asuka, me and my mother."

"In place of your mothers, I saw Captain Katsuragi."

Asuka sat back down. "Well, Mister Instructor? What does it mean, this dream."

"I don't know."

"Hah!" Asuka smirked. "I thought as much." She glanced over to Rei. "And those words you said, '_itchulhath nathram_--'"

Asuka had never before seen Rei lose her composure. Her eyes widened as Rei leaped across the table and grabbed her.

"Never say those words!" Her eyes were wide and staring in terror.

Shinji's eyes widened. "Rei!"

Rei calmed down. She released Asuka, and crawled back off the table. "I apologize, Pilot Sohryu."

"It's all right...guess I should stick to Japanese around here. It's safer." Asuka rubbed her shoulders. "What do they mean?"

Rei shook her head. "I do not know."

Asuka scowled at her. "If you don't know, why did you get so angry?"

"She wasn't angry, Asuka." Shinji looked down. "She was scared." He could feel Rei staring at him now, like drops of liquid nitrogen on his skin. "Those words scare me, too. And I don't know what they mean, any more than she does."

- - - - -

"Sync ratios are matched."

Ritsuko looked up from her terminal, faint surprise in her face. "I'm not sure what Shinji is doing, but it seems to be having a positive effect."

"Oh, sure. Positive for you." Misato yawned. "You haven't been on my end of it. Constant nightmares among all three all night, and then constant bickering in the morning. It's been a long week."

"I'd offer to spell you, but I don't feel like spending my night in a toxic waste dump."

"Really?" Misato perked up. "You mean that?"

"Sure." Ritsuko shrugged. "Of course, your house is the worst pigsty I've ever seen. Before I'd do it, I'd insist you clean it up."

"Between those three neat freaks, the place is spotless." Misato sipped her coffee. "So you got the duty tonight, Doctor."

"Crap." Ritsuko grinned. "Hoist by my own petard." She frowned. "Your apartment has only three bedrooms, and I'm certain that despite their best efforts, your room is still a disaster. So I'll have to sleep on the couch. So who gets displaced to your room?"

"No need. Heck, I'll be sleeping there myself. But with earplugs to drown out the screaming."

"So you have Asuka and Rei sharing a room?"

Misato shook her head. "They refused. So I moved Rei into Shinji's room."

Ritsuko's eyes bugged out. "She agreed to that?"

"Most readily." Misato snickered and added, "Though on one night, Shinji spent the night in Asuka's room. Rei had problems with that; she said that she slept better with Shinji there. But Shinji was adamant about it; he said he wanted to see how badly Asuka's nightmares disturbed her sleep."

"Does Commander Ikari know about this?"

"Not to the best of my knowledge."

"Don't tell him." Ritsuko set down her coffee cup, and scowled. "I'm not sure how he'd react, but I doubt that it would be to your benefit."

- - - - -

A scream echoed throughout the apartment.

Ritsuko sat bolt upright, disoriented. Then she heard the words.

"_Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!_"

Ice formed around her heart, and she jumped up and ran to Shinji's room. There, she saw Shinji and Rei, the pale girl wrapped around him, shuddering.

"Shinji!"

He looked up at the Doctor, sleep still clouding his eyes. "A nightmare. I'd not come closer, Doc."

"I know." She stood, and waited, until Rei fell back to sleep. Shinji gently lay her back down, and covered her back up.

"Shinji. Can I talk with you a bit?"

"Sure, Doc." He stood, and followed her out to the living room.

"Shinji, what I have to tell you, I don't have all the pieces of yet. So I will apologize in advance if I confuse you."

Shinji nodded warily.

"First off, do you have any idea what Rei's dream was about?"

He nodded again. "A city. The shapes of the building were...impossible. And a massive shadowy form over it..."

"R'lyeh." She sighed. "In the nineteen-thirties, a boat came across an island in what was supposedly open waters. On the island, there was a city much as you described. The boat's log doesn't detail what happened after that, but when the boat was found, only two crewmembers remained aboard. One was completely insane, the other was dead."

"Oh."

"Further investigation of this incident led me to a report filed back in the eighteenth century. An Inspector LeGrasse, of the Louisiana State Police. He witnessed cult activity, and heard a sentence used. The one Rei just shouted out. It means, "In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."

Shinji considered this. "So...she's having dreams about something that happened over a hundred years ago?"

"About a year after the incident with the island," continued Ritsuko, "an expedition to the Antarctic found another city. Again, only two people escaped. Both survived, but were judged mad as hatters." Ritsuko leaned closer. "But someone else decided that the Antarctic needed looking at, and in 1998, the Katsuragi Expedition followed in the footsteps of the Miskatronic Expedition."

"Katsu--" He blinked. "Misato was the only survivor of that expedition!" He jumped to his feet. "It all fits together now! The EVAs are--" He gaped. "They're connected to the Old Ones."

"I think so." Ritsuko shook her head. "There's still a lot of information I don't have. The torpedoing of the reefs outside of Imboca, Innsmouth and Okinawa; I don't know how they fit in. Why you, and the other two pilots, are having these nightmares...I can only guess that it's due to your links to EVA."

"Should I stop--"

"No." Ritsuko sighed. "Whatever else is being planned, you, Rei and Asuka are all that is keeping us alive. Until we can learn more, I have to trust you."

- - - - -

"Stupid dreams. Stupid Shinji. Stupid EVA. Stupid Misato." Asuka stalked back and forth across the living room. "So what if my sync rates are going up? They would anyway. Practise makes perfect." She stopped, and clenched her fists. "Stupid Shinji has no practise, no training...all he has is luck! Luck isn't training! I don't need more training! _Gelernt ist gelernt!_"

"Then why did you panic in your first battle?"

"Shut up, Wonder Girl! You're just supporting him because he's your fiancée!"

"The fact that we are engaged is both against our will, and completely irrelevant." Neither Rei's tone nor her expression changed at all. "I am supporting him because, unlike you, he has proven himself."

"You never support him when he's around to appreciate it. Why are you always so nasty to him?"

Rei looked away. "I do not wish to become close to Pilot Ikari."

"Why not?"

"I have my reasons, and they are private."

Asuka stepped closer, and grinned. "Oh. I see. The Droid doesn't want to admit her feelings."

"Not to you."

"You do love him, don't you?"

Rei looked back. "What is love?"

"You're kidding me, right?" Asuka stepped back, a look of surprise on her face. "You don't know what love is?"

"I did not say that. I asked you for your definition."

"That's easy! When you cannot live without another person, that's love!"

"In that case, I submit to you that you love Pilot Ikari."

"Uh?" Asuka blinked. "What are you, stupid? I don't love that idiot!"

"Were he not there to protect you in battle, you could not live." Rei turned back to her book.

Asuka ground her teeth, then declared, "I could do a lot better at training than Shinji! I know these units better than anyone else alive!"

"I do not believe that this is so."

"Oh? Why not put it to a challenge, then!" Asuka levelled a finger at Rei. "I will train you! If you don't gain at least ten percent on the next sync test, I will concede that Shinji is the better pilot."

"I would accept that challenge."

"You gotta try! You gotta listen to what I say, and you gotta do it like you mean it!"

"I have already accepted." Rei stood. "How shall we begin?"

"Asuka!" Misato's voice cut the air like a whip. The redhead gulped; she had forgotten that the Captain was in the next room. Now, Misato stalked towards her, anger etched in her face.

"Yes, Captain?"

"You have forgotten that I placed Shinji in charge of both your training."

"No, Captain. I didn't forget. I was--"

"You were trying to undermine his position." Misato scowled. "He might have even let you get away with it. I won't."

"But--"

"No." Misato shook her head. "May I remind you that with less than a minute's discussion, Shinji nearly doubled Rei's sync rate? Even your own has gone up twenty percent since he started training you."

"I refuse to accept it!" Asuka was screaming now. "He's a complete fluke, a freak of nature! I won't accept that he is better than me!"

Rei took a step forward, and backhanded her. The impact knocked her reeling. Misato winced; she knew Rei's strength, and knew well that she'd pulled the slap. As it was, Asuka staggered a step, before collapsing to her knees.

Silence reigned for long seconds, before Rei broke it.

"You are a coward." Her voice was cold. "You refuse to accept that another may be better than you." She paused, then turned away. "Nigoki deserves better than you."

- - - - -

"Why did you hit her, Rei?"

Rei glanced up from her futon. "She refused to accept your superiority."

Shinji shook his head. "I'm no better than her, really. She's got all the training. I just happened to figure the EVA out before her. Once she's fully submerged to the Dream, she will surpass me."

"Until she accepts that you are correct, she will be unable to Dream." Rei looked down, and continued to work on the futon. "I apologize, Pilot Ikari. I should not have interfered."

He reached out, and touched her hand. She shivered, involuntarily, and looked up. The mask was gone; there was fear in her eyes.

"Please..." she whispered. "I'm sorry..."

"Thank you for sticking up for me, Rei." He smiled. "I'm not sure I could have."

She snatched her hand away as though his touch was painful. "You...will not punish me for this?"

He frowned. "No. Why would I?"

"I showed weakness." She looked down. "I allowed my...feelings...to dictate my actions."

"It's all right, Rei." He lay down, facing the ceiling, and pulled the blanket to his chin. "Everyone gets angry sometimes."

She slipped between the covers of her own bed, pulling the blankets around her tightly, as though they were a defense. She rolled onto her side, facing away from him.

"It was not anger."

- - - - -

Their sleep was dreamless, but when he awoke, he found her in his futon, back pressed against his chest. He carefully drew his arm from between her hands, stood, and walked as quietly as he could to the kitchen.

- - - - -

"Long range radar has reported no contact with any Old Ones." Misato tapped her console. "Nonetheless, Commander Ikari believes that they will attack today."

"I understand."

"Shinji, how would you evaluate the readiness of the other two pilots?"

"Rei still needs more control." He frowned. "Asuka is..." He sighed, and looked down.

"Not ready?"

"She won't surrender to the EVA." He shook his head. "If she is placed in combat, I don't know what will happen."

Misato considered this, then stated, "We'll have to see what happens." She touched a control on the desk. "Pilots Sohryu and Ayanami. Ready room."

The doors opened, and the two girls entered. Misato looked up at them.

"We expect an attack by the Old Ones today. Two of them."

"Nug and Yeb," said Rei.

"Can you sense them, Rei?"

She shook her head. "No. They are far more powerful, individually, than any that have come before. They are masking their presence from me."

"Can EVA handle them?"

She nodded. "Zerogoki will want to destroy them."

"Good." She glanced over at Asuka. "I'm putting Rei on backup. You and Shinji will be our advance units. Evacuation was completed thirty minutes ago, and the city is locked down."

"Got it!" Asuka snapped to attention. "Who has the lead?"

"You do."

"Ja!" Asuka clenched a fist. "I won't let you down!"

Misato's expression was cold. "For all our sakes, I hope not."

- - - - -

_You do not Dream, Shinji._

_Not yet._ Shinji looked around the city. _It is draining on both of us, when we are one._

_You wish to wait for the battle._

_Yes._

_You no longer fear me._

He smiled sadly. _I fear myself more._

"Unit Two, in position." Asuka hefted the gun pod. "Unit One, remain under cover. I'll flush, you shoot."

_She does not Dream._

"Asuka. Remember that last time, the gun pod was useless."

"Don't worry. I have been completely retrained, remember?" Her voice was acid. "I'm ready this time."

"Contact! Screen Thirteen!"

"Asuka! Your vector to intercept is north thirty for two hundred!"

"Gotcha!" Asuka manoeuvred her EVA to the indicated point. "I got it."

She switched on her camera; the monstrosity approaching appeared on Shinji's screen. Half the height of the EVAs, it was much more broadly built. Thirty or more tentacles waved in all directions; four had formed cloven hooves, and propelled the beast towards EVA-02. The others appeared less certain of their final form.

"Target haloed, and..." She levelled the gun pod and pulled the trigger. The creature bucked, blown backward by the high-explosive rounds, then fell and began to dissolve into liquid.

Asuka snapped up her targeting hood, and grinned. "Piece of cake."

"That was not an Old One."

"Eh?" Asuka glared down at her comm screen, which showed Rei's face. "What do you mean? What the hell else could it have been?"

"Contact!"

"The other!" Asuka grinned fiercely, and snapped the targeting hood down. "Vector!"

"North forty-five for one hundred."

"Right on top--" She traversed the gun, and hosed down another beast. "That's both."

"Contact!"

"Whaa...?"

_It is the Thousand Young._

"Vector north fifteen for three hundred. Contact. Shinji, vector east eighty for four hundred. Contact..."

Shinji gaped as his threat board registered target after target. He lost track after a hundred.

"Kill them all!" Asuka roared, and thumbed her trigger. The gun pod chattered, chewing two more targets to paste. She moved, and fired again, destroying another.

Shinji maneuvered, and brought his own gun pod to bear. Two more creatures died under a hail of high-explosive rounds. He glanced up, seeing another diving towards him. "Oh, no! Asuka, they can fly!"

The gun pod snarled again, shattering the flying creature. Asuka had run her gun pod dry; she snapped another clip into place, kicked a squalling horror away, then destroyed it with another burst. "More! Bring me more! _Bringen Sie ihnen allen, und ich werde sie alle töten!_"

Shinji slammed his second clip home, then leaped to the top of a building. He haloed three targets, and dispatched them with precision fire.

_Shogoki--_

_There is no Flow._

"Rei, prepare to launch." Misato's voice cut through the comm system chatter.

"Yes."

"Shinji. We're sending up gyroc rifles. They should do better against these things."

"Understood." He drilled two more, then discarded the empty rifle pod.

"Piece of cake!" Asuka was almost singing her triumph. "I can handle anything they send me!"

The pavement beneath her EVA's feet cracked, and a mass of tentacles, each twice as long as the EVA, rose up. They shifted, forming huge claws that grasped the limbs of the EVA.

"Asuka!"

_Nug comes._

"Get off me, you slimy--" EVA-02 fought in the grasp of the Old One, but was lifted bodily off the ground.

"EVA-02 has lost umbilicus, and is on batteries!"

An elevator opened, and EVA-00 stepped from it, gun pod ready. Rei emptied the ammo clip into the Old One, but the wounds closed as fast as they appeared. She discarded the rifle, not even bothering with the spare clip.

Then the building next to her exploded, and more tentacles wrapped themselves around Zerogoki.

_Yeb._

_Shogoki--_

_Yes. Now we Dream._

- - - - -

_One Brother was lifted off the ground, his scarlet armour cracking under Nug's indelicate embrace._

_Her other Brother struggled, pinned against a massive building, as Yeb did his best to tear him in half._

They come not to destroy the Father, but to free him.

Will you still fight?

Yes. Each for our own reasons.

Asuka--

The fiery one still refuses to submit to the Dream.

_She formed her Lance, and charged Nug. A swing of the lance severed the tentacles holding her Brother aloft. They dissolved into Primal state, but flowed back to Nug, reabsorbed._

**FREEDOM**

_Zerogoki tore forward, tearing himself free, then turned and drew his own Lance from the Flow._

They would enslave us, Dreamer. We will fight them.

How can we beat them?

They are twin souls. Both must be destroyed within less than two of your heartbeats of each other.

We--

No. Zerogoki is still too unstable for this. Nigoki must awaken.

Asuka!

She is withdrawn.

"Asuka! If you want to prove yourself, this is the time!"

There was no answer from the Dreamer.

"Asuka, dammit!"

_**Shinji...**_

_He touched her mind. She was paralyzed with fear. She was failing, and she could not fail. _Immoglich.

She must move past fear.

_Her Dreamer paused._ That could be very dangerous.

My Brother still sleeps.

Can you allow me to speak to those outside the Dream?

Yes.

"Misato. I'm sorry, but I misjudged Asuka."

_**Shinji, you bastard.**_

"You've got to recover EVA-02 before she loses it."

_**Bastard!**_

"Understood, Shinji. What's happening up there?"

"She froze. She's forgotten all of her training."

_**BASTARD!**_

He awakens.

_The blast of rage from the Dreamer Asuka was almost tangible, and Nigoki rose, eyes blazing._

**I shall be free!**

Brothers, we must destroy these two as one. Zerogoki, listen to your Dreamer. Nigoki, destroy Nug.

_Nigoki formed his Lance; in place of the spears of Flow that his siblings used, his Lance was split at the end, like a pick._**My Dreamer will bring me freedom.**

_More of the Thousand Young approached, but Zerogoki was now rampaging through them, using Lance and kinetic blasts to destroy them. He cleared a path for her, to Yeb._

Hear my Dreamer's heartbeat. _It sang in her ears, a counterpart to her own._ Five.

_She raised her lance, and charged towards Yeb._

Four.

_Nigoki swung his Lance, destroying a Young before it could latch onto him._

Three.

_Zerogoki howled his rage, and his Barrier rippled outwards, destroying the Young around him._

Two.

_Nigoki stepped towards Nug, Lance on high._

One.

_She gathered the Flow, allowed it to propel her towards Yeb._

Now.

_The Lances struck home._

_The sheer power contained in the Twin Monstrosities was far more than her Barrier could absorb; the resulting blast hurled her backward, away from Yeb and out of the Dream._

- - - - -

"Both targets are silent. All three EVA are down."

"Damage report?"

"Moderate damage to Unit Two, light damage to Unit One." She checked her scanners. "The smaller creatures appear to have died with their leaders."

"Good." Misato sat down, and indulged in a case of the shakes.

- - - - -

Nigoki was gently lowered into its cage, and the entry plug extracted. Shinji watched nervously as it opened.

Asuka came boiling out of the plug, rage written across her face. She raised a fist, and charged him, striking him across the face. The impact knocked him right around, and he fell to his hands and knees, facing away from her.

He heard her breathing, deep and gasping. He turned back around, and looked up to her.

"How could you do that?" She shuddered. "He was trying to take me over!"

"He needed your drive, to fight properly." Shinji rubbed his jaw. "Without you, he cannot act. Without him, you cannot fight. You must be equals."

"Equals!" She spat, and turned away from him. "It's a machine! I don't care if it has flesh or blood. It will do as I say!"

Nigoki's head turned to face her. She gasped, as his eyes opened. The armour around the head deformed and cracked, as he opened its mouth.

Shinji's blood ran cold, as Nigoki spoke.

"_**Ich bin Sklave zu niemandem!**_"


	9. Stars Burning Brightly

_Disclaimer_

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing. Cthugha was created by August Derleth._

* * *

"'I am nobody's slave.'" Asuka's arms were wrapped tight around her body. "That's what he said."

She sat in the briefing room, still in her plugsuit. Her hair was dry; for whatever reason, LCL did not cling to hair or skin, but shed off almost instantly. Shinji and Rei also wore their plugsuits, and Misato and Ritsuko had come directly from the command deck.

Shinji sighed. "I tried telling you this, Asuka. I've been trying to tell you for the last two weeks. You're not the master; you're the partner. Not even that, really; you and he are two halves of one being." He tapped her forehead. "You have to understand it here." He tapped her chest. "And here."

"I know that." She shuddered. "Nigoki's made that clear enough."

Shinji shook his head. "You know it, but you don't really accept it."

"She is starting to."

He looked over at Rei. "How do you know?"

"She called him by name."

- - - - -

**Tail Kinker Presents**

**Fear**

**Chapter Nine:**

**Stars Burning Brightly**

- - - - -

"Do you need to sleep with her tonight?"

Shinji looked over at Rei. He had been sitting on the balcony, looking up at the stars, when she approached.

"I know you prefer to have me in the same room as you." He looked down at his feet. "Tell the truth, I kind of like it myself."

Rei took a step back. "Please...I..." She looked away, hands clasped before her. "I do not require it."

"I didn't say that." He winced. "I...I need to know if what happened today will affect her dreams."

"We have the A20 clips still. You can see her dreams from anywhere in the apartment."

"They only work some of the time." He sighed. "Some times, they don't work, and then I need to be there, to find out what the dream was about." He looked up at her. "Her nightmares have been getting worse."

"I have seen this."

"But there's something about her that I haven't figured out yet." He made a fist. "Something that's...tied into...her problems with piloting."

"She has a superiority complex, and is unwilling to admit it."

"On the surface, yes. But underneath..." He sighed. "She wears a mask. Like you do. Like I do."

"As Commander Ikari and Captain Katsuragi do."

"Yeah..." He sighed. "I got behind her mask once before. I need to do it again." He stood, and turned to Rei. "I'm sorry, but I do need to spend tonight in her room."

"I understand. Duty takes precedence over personal wishes."

"I would rather spend it with you." He reached out, and caressed her face.

She batted his hand away, her eyes wide with fright. She staggered back a step, tripping over the doorframe, then paused, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Shinji winced, and looked down.

"I'm sorry."

He looked up again; she'd taken the words right from his mouth. She looked across at him, the pain and fear still evident in her eyes.

Then the mask slipped back on again.

"I shall keep your impulses in mind, and remain outside of arms' reach."

She turned, and stalked back into the living room.

- - - - -

_Behind his desk, Gendo stared at Rei across folded hands._

_"You have become rather close to my son."_

_"I had assumed that that was your intent." Rei looked down at the floor. "After all, you appointed him a future life-partner to me."_

_"I did not intend for you to make any assumptions." He lowered his hands to the desktop. "You are to obey my orders, and remember your duties." He stood up. "If it is not covered by your orders, you do not react to any situation!" His voice had risen to a shout._

_Rei continued to stare downward; she feared that she knew what was about to happen._

_"Well?" Gendo shouted. "What do you have to say for yourself?"_

_She looked up, uncommon fire in her eyes. "I need answer only to myself!"_

_The office was silent for long seconds. Finally, Gendo adjusted his glasses, and quietly said, "Well. I see that you have forgotten your place." He unbuckled his belt, pulled it free. "I shall have to re-educate you."_

_The office was soundproof. She knew this from prior instances. No sound could reach anyone outside once the door was sealed. She knew this all too well._

_She screamed anyway._

- - - - -

Shinji sat bolt upright.

"Was geschieht?" Asuka looked around blearily, to see Shinji leaving her room at high speed. He tore open the door to his room, and ran in. Asuka sat up, and looked through the open doors.

Rei was convulsing, her hands held over her head. The screams were not of fear, but of pain.

"What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know!" He reached down, and touched Rei's arm.

She swung at him. Her fist caught him a glacing blow across the face, and he fell backwards, twisting, his head slamming into the wall.

"Shinji!" She ran towards him, but hesitated; he'd struck his head. If she moved him...

He moaned, and picked himself up. His face was...torn. A chunk of his lip had been pierced through by a tooth, and hung at an odd angle. His hair, where his head had struck the wall, was matted, as though he'd bled into it.

And still Rei screamed.

"Damn..." He winced, and fingered his lip. "I keep forgetting."

"What do we do?" Asuka looked around the room, and her eyes settled on a pillow. She grabbed it, and smacked Rei across the face with it.

The girl stopped screaming, her eyes wide open.

Asuka dropped the pillow, and smirked. "Figured that'd wake you up."

Rei sat up slowly, still shaking, then looked over at Shinji. "Your face..."

"Yeah." He pushed the torn skin back into place, waited until he could feel the dull burning sensation as it started to knit. "This'll take all day to heal."

"I...I apologize."

"It's all right. You were a bit...distraught."

"No kidding." Asuka shook her head. Rei glanced over at her.

"I thank you for waking me, Asuka. Please leave my room before I am reminded how you did so." Her voice was chill.

Asuka snorted. "No need to shower me with gratitude, Wonder Girl." She turned, stalked back into her room, and slammed the door.

Then closed it again, more gently.

"Figures." Shinji released his lip; it stayed in place. "I figure that Asuka'd be the one with nightmares, and instead, you bring down the house." He sighed, and looked down. "I don't know who I'm kidding. I'm not doing a very good job at training you two. I'm..." He shrugged. "I'm fumbling around in the dark, hoping I don't screw up too badly."

"That is all that any of us could do." He looked up; Rei's face was composed, but not frozen. "At least you have had some success; nothing else so far has worked."

"What was it about?" Shinji fingered the scalp wound. "I remember that I saw the nightmare, but..." He shrugged. "But then I got woken up by you screaming, and had my head slammed into the wall."

She paused, a long and uncomfortable time. "I think that if you do not remember, it would be best not to remind you."

He considered this, then asked, "In your opinion, would my knowing help me in my training you?"

She paused again, then said, "Your father felt it necessary to discipline me earlier today." The mask slipped on. "I have acted in error."

He shivered.

She lay back down, pulling the sheet over herself. "You should return to Asuka's room. The night is not yet over."

- - - - -

As usual, Rei was the first up.

Shinji sat down, and she wordlessly placed a cup of coffee before him. He smiled his thanks, and sipped.

"Shinji."

He glanced up. "Yeah?"

"I apologize for last night."

"You already did." He touched his lip. "And it's almost healed."

"You, too?" Asuka had wandered in, still somewhat bleary. "You mean you heal really quick, too?"

"Yeah. Remember last week, when Toji attacked me?" Shinji stood, and pulled up his shirt. There was not a mark on his stomach, even though he'd been badly cut. "All healed."

"All three of us heal quickly." Rei poured a second cup of coffee, and set it in front of Asuka. "I do not know why."

Shinji frowned. "What do the three of us have in common?"

"We all pilot EVA," offered Asuka. Shinji shook his head.

"No. I healed quickly before I even saw EVA."

"If I recall correctly, both you and Asuka are without mothers. I do not remember my mother." Rei glanced between the two of them. "However since other people have lost parents without gaining the ability to heal at an accelerated rate, I doubt that this is significant."

"You lost your mother, Shinji?" Asuka tilted her head.

"Yeah. She drowned." He sipped his coffee, more to steel himself than any other reason. "She went crazy, when I was five years old. Fought her way past guards, and threw herself into the ocean to drown." He looked down. "I still have nightmares about it."

Asuka stared at him, eyes wide in shock. "All Mutti wanted was to get to the ocean. When they restrained her, she went mad. She fought so hard to get to the ocean, and they had to lock her up. And..." She swallowed. "She...killed herself, because she couldn't get to the ocean." She shook her head. "That's...maybe that's the link. Something to do with the ocean."

Both turned to look at Rei. She raised an eyebrow.

"I told you already. I do not remember my mother."

"What's the earliest thing you remember?" Shinji leaned closer to her. "As far back as you recall?"

"Waking up in a hospital." She shuddered, a most un-Rei-like reaction. "Your father leaned over me, told me he'd be taking care of me." She looked down. "I was seven years old."

Shinji glanced over to Asuka. "How old were you?"

"I was nine when she started going crazy. She killed herself just last year." Tears were welling in Asuka's eyes. "But my healing was...I've always had it." She shook her head. "We're all so fucked up. All neglected by our parents, all..." She looked down again. "All freaks."

"Then I suggest," said Rei, "that we 'freaks' look out for each other."

"Good morning." Misato looked quite unpleasant, still half asleep. Not that this was unusual. She staggered to the table, and collapsed into her chair. "Everyone's still here?"

"I must leave for school." Rei wordlessly set a coffee, a beer, and a bowl of soup before Misato, then turned and left.

"Uh?" Misato shrugged, and popped open the beer. "What's crawled up her butt?"

"She had a rough night." Shinji grabbed his bookbag, stood, and headed for the door.

"I musta slept through the screaming..." Misato shrugged, and glanced over at Asuka. "How about you? After yesterday, I would've expected you to have a bad dream or two..."

"Slept like a baby." She stood, grabbed her bag, and waved. "Bye!"

Misato watched the redhead turn the corner, then scowled. "Christ! Now they've gotten her doing it, too!"

- - - - -

Rei glanced towards the door; Asuka had not yet emerged. "Shinji...when I apologized this morning..."

"I already said--"

She touched his lips with a finger. "I was not apologizing for injuring you."

He paused, then nodded. "You were afraid."

"Yes." She looked down. "I do not want to...be afraid of you. I am not afraid of you. I am afraid that I may hurt you." She looked up. "Please remember that I do not want to hurt you."

His cell phone rang. He winced, and said, "Sorry."

Her phone rang before he could get his out. He stared at the number on the display, then accepted the call.

"Pilot Ikari. All three of us are on our way."

Rei looked down at her phone, then clicked the cancel button. "We should wait for Asuka."

"Yes." He smiled. "We'll slow down for her."

- - - - -

"We picked this up on long-range thermal imaging." Ritsuko clicked the remote, and the screen behind her sprang to life. A ball of fire, twisting in obscene directions, writhed on the viewer behind her. She carefully did not look. "Commander Ikari has identified this as the Old One Cthugha."

"I was unable to sense its presence."

"Cthugha is listed third in power among the Old Ones," said Ritsuko. "I'm not surprised that you couldn't pick him up, Rei; his power levels are far beyond anything you can imagine."

"What does he want?" Shinji stepped forward. "Does that book of my Dad's tell us what he's after?"

"No." Ritsuko shook her head. "Commander Ikari has stated that Cthugha's motives will be completely incomprehensible to us."

"He's in orbit, right?" Asuka stared at the image. "How are we gonna fight him way up there?"

"He's in orbit, but around the sun. Roughly at the orbit of Saturn."

There was a long pause, then Shinji swallowed, and said, "So...how big is he?"

"Roughly five times the diameter of Jupiter."

The pause was even longer this time. Rei finally broke it.

"When do we deploy?"

"Are you crazy?" Asuka exploded. "That...thing...is so goddamn huge, it won't even notice an EVA!"

"We were called in. Therefore, someone here has formulated a plan to deal with Cthugha."

"What? Feed us to it first, and hope it's happy?"

"Quiet!" Misato's voice cut through the argument. The two subsided, and Misato turned to Ritsuko. "Do you have a plan?"

"Actually, yes." Ritsuko smiled. "Cthugha has sent three servitors to Earth. He cannot make contact with Terminal Dogma unless one of these servitors reaches there, and he only has two hours left before he's locked away again. So we need stop only the servitors."

"Okay!" Asuka raised a fist. "I'm good at beating down servitors!"

"Excellent." Ritsuko looked from her, to Shinji, to Rei. "Suit up, and prepare to deploy."

- - - - -

"Zerogoki, in position."

"Shogoki, in position." Shinji hefted the battle rifle; he hoped it would prove more effective against this "servitor" thing than it did against an Old One.

"Nigoki, ready to kick ass!"

"Still no contact, maintain your positions."

"Hey, Wonder Girl. Wanna make this interesting?"

"We are strapped into giant warbeasts, armed with the latest of high-tech weaponry, about to do battle with the servitors of a giant intelligent sun, with the fate of humanity on the line. In what way could it be more interesting?"

"Five thousand yen says I get two of them."

"I accept the wager."

"Hey, Shinji. You want in on this?"

He clicked the commboard. "All I have is a hundred yen."

"Boring!"

"Contact!"

"Where?"

"Sector twelve. Rei, that's your area. Your vector south one-seventy, ten miles for intercept."

"I am engaging."

"Contact! Asuka, your vector for intercept is north twenty, twelve miles."

"Great! I can finish off Rei's when I'm done with mine!"

"Unit one, hold position, we have no third contact yet."

"Cannon fire is ineffective."

"It's protoplasmic; the cannon shells are going right through them without exploding!"

"We're sending up incinerator units."

"Make it quick!"

"Contact! No, wait..."

"What?"

"I had a sensor ghost."

"SHINJI!"

He jumped, and turned, to see an explosion in the distance.

"What the Christ was that?"

"Unit Zero has employed an active energy attack against the target. EVA-00 is silent, but the target is destroyed."

"Contact!"

"Where away?"

"I can't lock it down--"

"Switch to UV."

"Nothing. It's not registering on UV or on IR."

"Try J-band radar."

"Nothing! Wait, I got a visual--Unit One, move!"

He did not hesitate, but broke his unit into a run.

"It's shifting--Oh, God!"

A wall of protoplasm rose up before Shogoki, and he couldn't stop in time. It washed over him like a wave, and he screamed.

- - - - -

"Incinerator isn't working!" Asuka discarded the flamer, and grabbed a gyroc rifle. The creature was an oozing pile of formless tissue, but it rose up, as high as her EVA, and began shifting to a humanoid form. She fired a gyroc into it, but watched in horror as it simply formed a hole in its body, allowing the gyroc to sail through without touching it.

"Nothing is working!"

"Asuka, calm down. Your sync rate is dropping rapidly!"

**You need to Dream**

"I can't do it." Asuka's head dropped. "I can't."

**You can**

"I can't!" She smashed her fist down on the console. "I'm in charge of my own actions!"

**I can help you**

The creature shambled towards her, and grabbed the EVA. She screamed in pain, the touch of the monster burning like acid.

**Give yourself to me**

"No!"

**It is the only way you will live**

"I can't!" She sobbed, from pain and fear. "I can't surrender!"

**It is not surrender, but acceptance**

The pain grew worse; she saw the armour on her arm fall away, melted like tissue paper in rain. She screamed.

"Oh, God it hurts! Please, Nigoki!"

But he was silent.

"Nigoki! Please! I'll surrender! I'll do anything--"

**ANYTHING?**

- - - -

_His eyes opened, and he stared down at the Shoggoth. A lesser servitor, fit only for destruction. Ages ago, they brought down their Masters, but the Old Ones were far more dangerous than the Masters of the Shoggoth._

_His free arm traced the path of the Elder Sign. The Flow gathered, and he blasted the Shoggoth. The creature staggered backward, and he smiled._

You are fierce, my Dreamer, but I will give you power. Together, we are one, and we are unstoppable!

_He formed the Lance, its dual heads glimmering with the Flow._

I have the power, and you have the purpose. And our purpose is to defend your kind.

_He leaped forward, and swung the Lance. The Shoggoth exploded, the energies of its body released to the Flow. He knelt in the midst of the blast, feeling the energies repairing his body and armour._

Never fear me, Dreamer._ He rose, banishing the Lance, as the last moments of power drained from his armour. _Never fear me, for we are one at last.

- - - -

_**FEAR ME, MORTAL.**_

Shinji opened his eyes, to find himself floating in a brilliant mass of light.

_Shogoki!_

_**DO NOT CALL FOR THAT CHILD. SHE IS NOT HERE. ONLY YOU ARE HERE.**_

"Are...are you Cthugha?"

_**I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THAT NAME BY THOSE TOO PRIMITIVE TO UNDERSTAND MY TRUE NAME. IT WILL SUFFICE FOR YOUR PUNY MIND.**_

"Did I get the servitor?"

_**THE SHOGGOTH? NO. EVEN NOW, IT INHABITS THE BODY OF THE CHILD, TAKING IT TOWARDS ITS FATHER.**_

"I have to stop it!"

_**WHY?**_

"Because you'll kill everyone on earth if I don't!"

_**DOES THAT MATTER?**_

Before him images of Rei and Asuka appeared.

_**THESE TWO APPEAR IN YOUR MIND MORE THAN ANY OTHER. WHY?**_

"Well..."

_**YOU FEEL AN ATTACHMENT TO THEM. **_

"I do."

_**I SEE THAT YOU CONSIDER THE TWO UNIQUE. TO ME, YOUR ENTIRE SPECIES ARE AS INTERCHANGEABLE AS ANY OTHER BACTERIA.**_

The images of Rei and Asuka shifted. Rei's hair became red-gold, her eyes blue. Asuka's hair paled, to the same faded blue as Rei's normal tint, and her eyes turned the red of albinism. Even their plugsuits changed, Asuka's to the white and black of the Test Unit, Rei's to the red of the production model.

_**CAN YOU TRULY STATE THAT THESE TWO ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE?**_

"Yes!"

_**STRANGE. I WILL CONSIDER THIS, ONCE I HAVE CLEANSED THE PLANET.**_

He was back in the plug. The controls were dark.

"Shinji! What the hell are you doing?"

He stabbed at the commboard, but nothing happened.

"You're bringing that thing right in!" Misato's voice was sounding panicked. "Why won't you answer?"

_Shogoki!_

_I am here, Dreamer, but the Shoggoth has interrupted your link to the armour. Without it, you cannot control us._

_Can I Dream?_

_You can, but there is no point. I cannot reach the Flow. The Shoggoth inhibits me._

_What about the Brothers?_

_One is imprisoned in his armour, the other sleeps._

_Can either reach the Flow?_

_Zerogoki can. But his Dreamer sleeps._

_He closed his eyes._

- - - - -

The lights came on in her plug. Rei lifted her head from the console, and watched in amazement as the battery timer began climbing upwards.

"Rei! Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you, Captain." She ran through the activation sequence. "I am outside the Dream."

"You've got power again, somehow."

"I cannot fight, but I can move."

"Umbilical! Reconnect Unit Two!"

"I understand."

Zerogoki moved sluggishly under her direction, but she moved to an umbilical storage, and pulled out the cable. She staggered to Nigoki, and attached the umbilical.

Nigoki came back to life, as though a switch were thrown. He threw back his head, and roared.

- - - - -

_Battle. A second time, in so short a span. It was good to be alive!_

_He formed the Lance. His Sister was coated by the Shoggoth, directed by its foul powers towards its goal. But it had made one error: While controlling Shogoki, it cut off its access to the Flow._

_He leaped towards his Sister, altering the Lance as he flew. It split, segmenting into nine long tendils. He swung, and the tendrils wrapped around his Sister, burning the Shoggoth. It screamed, burned, and fell away. Shogoki collapsed as it died, her armour's power expended, and Nigoki stood alone on the battlefield, victorious. He raised his hands to the air, and roared again to the heavens._

- - - - -

"Technically, you could not have defeated the second Shoggoth without my assistance. Therefore, the wager is void."

"Pay up, Wonder Girl!" Asuka jerked a thumb towards her chest. "I killed two of them, so I win! No points for an assist!"

Shinji sat, head in his hands.

"Wagers are illegal between minors, in any event. Therefore, I am not legally required to pay you."

"Are you willing to be known as a welcher?"

"I have been called worse."

"Quiet!" Shinji jumped to his feet. The girls stopped arguing, and turned to face him.

"Don't you understand?" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Any of it. Those things are going to keep coming, and if Cthugha wasn't the most powerful...if there's one already on Earth that's even a tenth as powerful..."

"Shinji--"

"We don't matter to them!" He stared at Asuka. "They view us as insignificant. If they even notice us at all!" He sat back down. "We won today, but eventually, they're going to win. Because there's only three of us, and there's a lot more of them, and they're more powerful."

Rei sat down next to him. "Shinji. We will win."

"How can you say that?" He looked up at her. "How can you know?"

"I cannot know." She looked away. "But we have no choice but to believe it, or we have already lost."

- - - - -

"Good night, Asuka."

"See you tomorrow, Shinji." She waved him off. "I'm betting that with what you went through today, it'll be Rei comforting you after a nightmare!"

She closed the door before he had a chance to retort. Chuckling, she sat down on the futon, and stripped off her clothes.

Then paused. She looked down at her arms, clenched her hands into fists, and smiled.

"Freedom..."


	10. Mankind Now Rules

_Disclaimer_

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights._

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing._

* * *

"Let her go, Shinji. She's not your mother anymore." 

Shinji stopped struggling, and watched as his mother dove headfirst into the waves. He waited, watching for her to surface, for long minutes, before turning and burying his face into his father's jacket.

Only to be shoved away, tripping and falling. He looked up at his father's cold eyes, and shivered.

"Never come back, Yui..." He glanced down at his son, and Shinji's fear mounted as their eyes met.

The same arctic gaze now bored into Shinji's eyes. The chill broke as he raised his eyes to the heavens. "By God, I swear I'll destroy you! All of you!"

- - - - -

**Tail Kinker Presents **

**Fear **

**Chapter Ten **

**Mankind Now Rules**

- - - - -

"Mother!"

Shinji sat bolt upright, gasping for breath.

"Shinji."

A hand touched his, another rested on his shoulder. He turned, to see Rei, sitting next to him.

And for an instant, overlaid, his mother.

He scrabbled backwards, gasping, and stared at her. The pain in her eyes was surprising.

"I..." He gasped for breath. "I'm sorry, Rei...I was still dreaming."

She looked down. "I understand."

"No, you don't." He moved closer to her again, resisting the impulse to reach out to her. He'd hurt her enough for the moment. "I...I saw my mother. Just before she died. And I looked at you, and..." He paused. "You look a lot like her. In the build of your face, and you wear your hair the same."

"Commander Ikari dictated the hairstyle that I must wear."

Shinji was still somewhat addled from the dream. "He does? But..."

"I never met the Commander's wife. I came to live with him after she died." Rei looked up at him. "He has never spoken of her. I have never even seen a picture of her. All I know of her, I know from you."

"I don't understand..."

"Nor do I." She reached out to him again, and drew him into her embrance. "Come. You have been my comfort in the past. Now let me be yours."

Held tight against her, he soon slipped into dreamless sleep.

- - - - -

He awoke to the sound of running water and tuneless singing in German.

He sat up gingerly, rubbing his head. A mild headache; he expected it to fade shortly. He stood, stretched, and walked out to the kitchen.

Rei was already fully dressed, and had breakfast waiting as usual. He smiled his thanks as the coffee and miso were set before him. Rei turned and picked up a second bowl.

The singing cut out, and the door opened behind him. "Good morning, Shinji. Good morning, Rei."

Rei appeared stunned. She carefully set the bowl down on the table, and said, "Pilot Sohryu. Are you feeling well?"

Shinji could not have been more shocked if Rei had launched the bowl and gone into the Tokyo Shuffle. He glanced over his shoulder.

Okay. He could be more shocked.

Asuka stood before him, just out of the bath. She'd not bothered with details like drying herself, or putting on any clothing.

"...Asuka?"

She blinked, and looked down. "_Gott in Himmel!_"

She turned and bolted back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

He glanced back to Rei. She still had a deer-in-headlights look on her face.

"Is it just me, or did Asuka..."

"She did." Rei nodded. Then turned back and poured another cup of coffee.

Asuka re-emerged, wrapped in a bathrobe. She cuffed Shinji across the back of the head. "Pervert." She glared at Rei, then marched down the hall to her bedroom.

Shinji frowned, and turned back to Rei again. "Am I a pervert?"

"You do not wander around the apartment unclothed."

- - - - -

"Asuka."

She turned, walking backwards, and glared at him. He cringed at the contempt in her face, but forced himself to continue speaking.

"Why exactly did you walk naked out of the bathroom this morning?"

"I wanted to go get dressed, and I forgot my robe. It was just a momentary lapse, is all. Won't happen again." She smirked. "I oughta bill you for the peep show."

"All I have is a hundred yen."

"That sounds like a fair price," commented Rei.

"Ooh, you're in good form this morning, Wonder Girl." Asuka smirked. "Of course, you put it all on display for free. It's a wonder that -you- don't wander around stark naked, for all the little that you wear around the house."

"I have never left the bathroom while completely unclothed. Except on one occasion."

Shinji winced at the memory of that one occasion.

"Oh? Did Shinji get a free show that time?"

"She was moving too fast," said Shinji.

Asuka snorted, and turned around to walk forwards again. "Strange...so much human behaviour is tied into reproduction...almost every aspect of their psyche..."

Rei glanced over at Shinji, and the puzzlement in her eyes was for once easy to read.

- - - - -

Asuka was not normally a disruptive influence in class, but her alternation between boredom and confusion was usually a bit distracting. Today, however, she had followed the curriculum with marked concentration. Even the history teacher had been unable to put her to sleep.

As usual, the day ended with Phys. Ed. Shinji didn't much care for gym, but no-one had consulted him on his preferences. He'd discovered a bit of enjoyment in badminton; physical power wasn't needed. The game required manual dexterity, and the ability to co-ordinate with a partner. Best of all, mixed doubles were common in the sport, and he was often partnered with Rei.

He wondered sometimes if Rei was telepathic; she seemed to be sensitive to an approaching Great One, and her ability to back him up seemed almost psychic. This game, however, he was pitted against Asuka and her partner, a slender and fast boy named Akira.

Asuka stepped into the court, racquet held in hand like a club. This was nothing new; Asuka's contempt for the sport was widely advertised. She tested the balance of the racquet, and something in her face changed.

"A game of skill and precision against the two of you...I think I will enjoy this."

Shinji blinked. She hates badminton...just playing against Rei and me shouldn't change that... He glanced over at Rei, and saw his confusion mirrored in her face.

"Volley for service." Rei lobbed the shuttlecock over the net, and Asuka leaped up to spike it straight into the pavement.

Shinji blinked again.

Rei almost frowned. "That was not a volley."

"I am sorry. Please, I don't know this game well." She scowled suddenly. "You know how much I hate it..."

Rei volleyed again, and the serve eventually fell to Asuka. Shinji found himself hard pressed to keep up with the redhead's ferocious play; her partner eventually gave up, and the game turned into an uneven match, Rei and Shinji against Asuka.

And Asuka won.

She ducked under the net, no expression on her face. No gloating, no victorious glee. She walked up to Shinji, and offered a hand.

"Good game."

"Yeah." He shook her hand. "Yeah. Good game."

She tossed her racquet over the net, to her partner. "Glad that's over. I'm heading to the shower." She stormed off the court. "Stupid game. What's wrong with football?"

Shinji glanced over at Rei. "That seem odd to you?"

She nodded silently.

- - - - -

Shinji dropped his shoes onto the ground, and stepped into them. He glanced up at Rei. "You got any ideas?"

"None." She shook her head.

Shinji sighed, and leaned up against the lockers. "Well, she's definitely acting weird."

"Her behaviour is frequently strange, but it is a consistent strangeness. She is behaving...inconsistently."

He glanced up at the albino girl. "So what would you suggest we do?"

"Ice cream!" Asuka grabbed his arm, and dragged him towards Rei. With her other arm, she snagged Rei's.

Rei paled. Shinji winced.

Asuka dropped Rei's arm as though burned. "Sorry, Wonder Girl. I forgot you're not the touchy-feely type."

"Asuka--"

"Ice cream! To celebrate my properly syncing with Nigoki! My treat!" She grinned at Rei. "Will ice cream gum up the inner workings of a Droid?"

"Asuka--"

Rei's expression shifted slightly. "I think that it is an excellent idea." She stepped around Asuka, and took Shinji's free arm. "Do you know where to acquire some ice cream?"

He stared at her in surprise...and realized that for once, he could see through the mask. The way she held his arm...she was frightened.

"I think I know a place."

- - - - -

The world seemed to be mad.

Asuka was talking animatedly, to Rei, to him, to other customers, possibly to the fake plants in the store. Rei mechanically consumed her ice cream, her expression as bland as plain tofu. Shinji was having difficulty even looking at his.

"Come on, Rei!" Asuka waved a spoon in her direction. "Show some enthusiasm!"

"There is no need for enthusiasm."

"No?" Asuka pointed down at the ice cream. "That's triple fudge! How can you not be enthusiastic?"

"It is insufficiently nutritious, and a most inefficient means of serving dairy products."

"You suck the life out of everything, don't you?" She frowned. "Haven't you ever had ice cream before?"

"No."

"Oh, well, that explains it!" Asuka paused to shovel in another spoonful. "For us humans, ice cream brings up memories of birthdays, parties, special occasions. I doubt that Droids have parties." She tucked back the last of her serving, and jumped up. "I'm getting more!"

Shinji watched her make her way back to the counter, and turned to Rei. "Why did you--"

"When she touched me." Rei clasped her hands in her lap. "I felt...something else. Something is...observing Asuka. Perhaps even controlling her."

"An Old One?"

"No." Rei shook her head. "Whatever it is, it wants something. I felt a very...human...emotion." She looked down. "I can never understand what the Old Ones feel."

"Is it dangerous?"

"I do not know."

Asuka returned with a towering parfait.

- - - - -

"We're home."

"Welcome back!" Misato set down her beer can. "You were all gone before I even got up!"

"Lots to do!" Asuka raised a thumbs up.

"Guess so."

"Misato?" Shinji set his book bag on the table. "You got a minute? There's something I think I need to talk with you about."

"Sure!" She slid open her bedroom door. "Step into my office."

Shinji thought of the mess that the door normally concealed, then shook his head. "Out on the balcony?"

She shrugged. "I suppose."

They stepped out, and Shinji slid the door shut. Then turned to Misato, and spoke in low tones.

"There's something wrong with Asuka."

"Oh, it's just that she's a foreigner. Ways different from our own. You should travel more, it really broadens the mind--"

"No." He shook his head. "There's something else." He stepped a bit closer. "Rei felt...something wrong with her. Like she's possessed or something."

"An Old One?" Misato frowned.

"No, that was my first guess, too. Rei says that whatever it is, it's more human than that." He shrugged. "She said she felt a human emotion, when Asuka grabbed her arm. But she didn't say..."

"It was human, but not something she could pin down?"

"Yeah."

Misato considered this, than said, "There are too many unknowns. I think we should just keep an eye on her for a while."

- - - - -

Rei sat in her armchair, staring at Asuka. For her own part, Asuka was savouring a cup of tea.

"Most delicious." She set the cup down. "So many things to see, so much to explore..." She glanced over at Rei. "Freedom is a wonderful thing, isn't it?"

"Freedom?"

"Think about it, Rei." Asuka stretched. "We're the Dreamers. We can do anything we want!" She winked. "What are they gonna do? Throw us in jail?"

"They placed Pilot Ikari in solitary confinement, for not following orders."

"Did they, now?" She leaned forward. "For how long?"

"Seven days."

"And how did you feel about that?"

Rei fidgeted. "I do not wish to discuss it with you."

"Have you discussed it with him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

She clasped her hands in her lap. "I do not feel the need to discuss it with him."

"But you're his fiancee." Asuka tilted her head. "You two are, by arrangement of his father, to be life-mates. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"Closer than brother and sister. Two parts, as one. Right?"

"I have been told that this is the case." She looked down. "I have no experiences of it."

"But you know that he is to be your other half." She stood, and took a step closer to Rei. "Don't you want to know what he thinks of you?"

"I know what he thinks of me." She shivered.

"What is it, then?" Asuka smiled. "You cannot talk to him about it. So you should talk to me about it."

"I do not wish to--"

"What happened to what you said yesterday morning? 'Then I suggest that we freaks look out for each other.' That is what you said, isn't it?" Asuka leaned in closer, her smile seeming more predatory. "What happened to those brave words? Are you turning coward on me?"

"I..."

"You do not like me. I know this. I am too different from you, and you do not understand me." Asuka knelt before the albino girl. "Strange, the walls we build between each other. One between me and you. One between you and the Dreamer Shinji. But you try to climb over those walls."

"Please..."

"So tell me, since we must look out for each other. What does the Dreamer Shinji think of you?"

Rei stared down at her hands, willed them to stop trembling. "He fears me."

"Why?"

"Because I..."

"Brave Dreamer Rei." Her voice was mocking. "What have you seen, when you climbed that wall?"

She stood upright, causing Asuka to stagger backwards. "Because I hurt him. I cannot help but hurt him!" She clenched her fists. "Because he does not want to see me in pain, and he cannot help causing me that pain."

Asuka reached out, and touched her face. She flinched from the contact, but forced herself to remain still.

"Zerogoki can feel your pain." Asuka's voice fell to a sibilant hiss. "He -rages- against your pain. But still he does not turn against you. He does not turn away from the Dreamer Shinji."

"How do you--"

"Nigoki. He tells me." Asuka looked a bit bewildered, and she snatched her hand away from Rei's face. "He speaks to his Brother and his Sister." She turned away. "I'm sorry, Rei."

"There is no need to apologize."

Asuka clenched her fist. "No...no more..." She shuddered. "Rei, go!"

"Asuka?" Rei stepped forward, raising a hand, but Asuka turned again, a manic smile on her face.

"So. You and Shinji have been sharing a bedroom for a couple months now. You taken advantage of the situation yet?"

Rei frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, sure, you're not married yet. Probably saving it for the big night. But still, you've got lots of chances to just mess around, right?"

Her frowned deepened. "If I understand your meaning, Pilot Ikari and I have not engaged in any such activities."

"What? Are you still in kindergarden?" Asuka chuckled. "You can't tell me that he's never tried to grope you."

"Pilot Ikari has not attempted such activities."

"Not even tried to kiss you?"

"No." Rei walked past her. "I am going to bed."

"Rei!"

She turned.

Asuka walked towards her. "Have you ever been kissed...by anyone?"

"No. I would derive no benefit from it."

"How would you know?" Asuka walked up to her. "If you've never been kissed, you would have no way of knowing."

"I know myself."

"It's a very intimate touch, you know." Asuka grinned. "No physical human contact is free of sexual implications; it permeates the entire psyche."

"Who are you?" Rei took a step backwards. "You are not Pilot Sohryu."

Asuka closed the gap again. "You fear human contact. But without it, you will never know anyone."

"I--"

- - - - -

"I'm still not really comfortable with this, Misato."

"There's not a lot we can do. The three of you have a sync test tomorrow, so maybe Ritsuko can figure it out then." Misato sipped her beer, and sighed. "Maybe you'll learn something from the dreams."

"But just doing nothing?"

"If Rei's convinced it's not dangerous--"

"She's not convinced. Just a feeling."

"Kinda surprised here, Shinji." Misato chuckled. "When you first came here, you wouldn't have dared argue with me."

He shrugged. "You gave me this job, training them, so I might as well do it the best I can, right?"

"Good attitude, kid." She chuckled again, then shook her beer can. "Okay. The booze is gone, the conference is over." She grabbed his elbow. "Let's get back inside."

They turned, and froze.

In the living room, behind the balcony door, Asuka held Rei in a passionate kiss. Her arms were wrapped around the slender girl. Rei's arms were ramrod straight, fists clenched.

"Oh, shit." Shinji moved first, tearing open the balcony door. But he was a fraction of a second too late.

Asuka flew across the room, smashing into the far wall and dropping like a stone. Rei turned and bolted from the room, running down the hallway to the bedroom.

"Oh, sweet Jesus, what's happened?" Misato ran over to the collapsed redhead. "Asuka, are you all right?"

"What the fuck was I doing?" Asuka looked terribly confused. "I was..."

"You were kissing Rei."

"That bastard!" She closed her eyes, shook her head. "What the hell was he thinking?"

"Who?"

Asuka clenched her eyes shut, shook her head. "No...not again! No more!"

- - - - -

Rei had overturned the nightstand in her flight. She huddled in the closet, the nightstand between her and the rest of the world. Shaking.

Shinji walked up to the nightstand, knelt in front of it, keeping it between him and Rei.

"Rei?"

"She..." Rei shuddered. "It's him, Shinji. It's Nigoki. I could feel him, clearly, when she kissed me."

"Nigoki?" Shinji frowned. "How could he have done this?"

"They lack will. He took her will, rode her body." Rei looked up at him. "I understand what he feels now. He's lonely. He's curious about us, and wants to be with us."

"Can we...send him back or something?"

"He's here." Rei looked past him. He stood, and turned.

Asuka stood in the doorway. Her face was calm, her eyes guarded. He took a step towards her.

"Nigoki?"

"Dreamer Shinji." She smiled. "I am not surprised that Rei discovered the truth. It does surprise me that you needed it spelled out for you."

Rei shuddered. "Get out. Get out of her!"

"No." Asuka grinned evilly. "I think I like it here."

Shinji stepped closer. "Leave her. Leave that body, and go back to your own."

"You know, you're not nearly as scary without my Sister to protect you." Asuka grabbed his shirt, dragged him nearly nose to nose with her. "What exactly are you going to do? How are you going to drive me from this body?"

"By force, if necessary."

"Right. Like you'd bring yourself to harm her." Asuka's voice was mocking. "Like you could lay your hands on her, even if you had the will. Always, where the other Dreamers are concerned, you lack will."

"Shinji." Misato appeared in the doorway. "What about the A20 clips?"

"I don't think so." Asuka dropped the boy, and glanced over her shoulder at Misato. "Those won't do a thing. She knows it. I know it. You ought to know it."

"Why are you doing this?"

"To punish her!" Asuka snarled. "She needs to know what it is like to be a slave! She needs to look beyond her fear."

"What does she fear?" Shinji stared at the redhead. "Nigoki. Tell me what she fears."

She glared at him. "She may tell you. If she learns the courage to face up to it. I shall not. My Brother and my Sister call to me. I go now."

Asuka collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.

"Asuka!" Shinji knelt beside her.

Her eyes fluttered, and she sat up slowly. "He's gone." She pulled her knees to her chest. "He's left me alone again."

"You are not alone." Shinji knelt next to her, wrapped his arms around her. Across from him, Misato did the same. Only Rei remained alone, still huddled in the closet.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Asuka pushed them away, and stood. "Get your hands off me! I don't need your pity."

"Yep. She's back to normal." Misato laughed shakily. "If you'll excuse me, I need a beer." She too stood, and walked off.

"Bedtime for me." Asuka stretched. "And before you ask, Shinji, I am -not- wearing that damn A20 clip to bed tonight."

She stalked back to her room, shutting the door. Shinji turned back to Rei.

"Are you all right?"

"I will be soon." Rei unfolded herself, stepped out of the closet. "He said a lot of things that I need to think about." She looked up at him hollowly. "I fear to be alone tonight."

"You won't be."

"I am often alone, even with you sleeping beside me."

He looked down. "If you need me, I'll be there. I'll try not to hurt you."

"We both know that you -will- hurt me."

- - - - -

"DAGON has forwarded the video of the disaster to us." Fuyutsuki tapped a key on the computer's terminal, and the main screen sprang to life. It showed a satellite image of a facility located in the middle of the desert. "This is five seconds before activation."

A sudden, searing blast of light whited out the screen; when it faded, the buildings in the facility were warped and bent. No mean feat; they were built of titanium alloy.

"I think we can safely assume that Unit Three was lost."

"Yes, sir." Fuyutsuki leaned over. "The pilot was killed inside."

"That is difficult to believe."

"Fast healers, these Dreamers, but even a Dreamer cannot return from ashes."

Gendo considered, then asked, "What is the status of Unit Four?"

"Ready to deploy, but DAGON has not found the Fifth Dreamer." Fuyutsuki shook his head. "They are very rare, and with all three of the undersea cities destroyed--"

"They had to be destroyed," snarled Gendo. "Filthy, stinking abominations..."

"Nonetheless, we are running out of Dreamers."

Gendo calmed himself, and said, "We shall have to manufacture one."


	11. Boiling and Churning

_Disclaimer _

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing; Mordiggian created by Clarke Ashton Smith._

* * *

Toji stared at the computer screen in disbelief.

"You can see that by the time EVA-01 destroyed her...she wasn't your sister any more."

He shuddered, and choked down the urge to vomit. "How...how could this happen?"

"The Old One Ythogtha inhabited her body from the Dreamlands. He attempted to use her to destroy Tokyo-3."

Toji clenched his eyes shut. "I can't...I can't watch this any more."

Fuyutsuki stepped a bit closer to the boy, and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Do you want vengeance?"

"Of course!" He scowled. "That's what I was tryin' ta do when your goons arrested me!"

"I can help you get revenge. Against the Old Ones."

"How?"

Fuyutsuki smiled. "How would you like to become a Pilot?"

- - - - -

**Tail Kinker Presents **

**Fear **

**Chapter Eleven **

**Boiling And Churning**

- - - - -

"Sync rate is still not optimal, Asuka, but you've come a long way in the last two weeks."

Asuka tapped her wrist control, and her suit deflated. "Shinji has helped me a lot."

"That must have hurt," snickered Ritsuko.

Asuka looked down. "He's...doing all right. He's training me to clear my mind, to not fight Nigoki."

"Good."

"Has there been any word about...Kaji?"

Ritsuko sighed. "I've managed to get some information from the Commander. Technically, I could be shot for telling you this."

"I won't breathe a word to anyone!" Asuka looked up at the synthetic blonde, her eyes pleading. "What do you know?"

"Last week, a NERV facility exploded." Ritsuko looked down. "Unit Three was destroyed, its pilot was killed. Kaji had gone to the base to arrange transportation for Unit Three to this facility."

"No!" Asuka looked horrified. "He can't be dead!"

"His body hasn't been found. For all we know, he survived, and escaped to the desert. But there's been no word from him since the explosion."

"He can survive a desert! Even the American Desert!" Asuka grinned, a bit maniacally. "You'll see! He'll walk out of there like he was just strolling through the garden!"

Ritsuko sighed. "For your sake, I hope you're right."

"What about the pilot and the EVA? Can they replace them?"

"Not easily. We had an EVA almost finished in Japan. We put the rush on it once we found out that EVA Three was destroyed. DAGON has submitted a new Pilot, as well." Ritsuko frowned. "I'm not really thrilled with the idea, and I'm not certain we're right to rush the EVA, but we're to start sync tests three days from now."

"Who's the new Dreamer?"

"A classmate of yours. Suzuhara Toji."

- - - - -

"Toji?" Shinji looked stunned. "Are you sure that that's wise?"

"Why?" Misato shrugged. "DAGON gave us his name."

"Did you forget about him trying to kill me?"

"Can't you forgive and forget?"

Shinji paused. "Yes. I can. Rather easily, actually, since he had what he thought was a very good reason to kill me. But I can't believe that the security guards would agree to this."

"They don't make the decisions."

Shinji glanced over at Rei. "What do you think about this?"

Rei lowered her book, and said, "Suzuhara is not a Dreamer. I do not think he can become one. I believe that he will be a poor pilot."

"Well, Shinji, if Rei thinks he's numb, then he probably is." Misato frowned. "I don't envy you your job."

"...Job?" Shinji raised his hands. "No way. I can't train him."

"But you've done such a great job with Rei and Asuka."

"They don't want to kill me!"

"At least, not today," added Rei.

Shinji rolled his eyes, then continued. "I really think it would be a bad idea for me to train him." He considered, then said, "Rei is our number two pilot; it's not her fault that Zerogoki is our least effective EVA. I think she should train him."

Misato raised her eyebrows, then glanced over at the albino girl. "Well?"

"I believe that training Suzuhara will be wasted effort," said Rei. "But if Shinji asks, I shall train him." She raised her book again.

- - - - -

Toji stared at himself in the mirror.

The plugsuit did not flatter a male form, but that was the least of his worries. He'd seen the sort of nightmares that the EVA fought. Aida had gone completely insane, just like Chouko...the last time he'd seen him, he'd been staring blankly at the ceiling.

He'd seen the sort of nightmares that the EVA_were_. Under the armour, they were just as horrifying as the monsters they fought.

And now they were going to put one at his command.

Fuyutsuki entered the room, followed by a doctor. "Before the activation, we are going to need to give you some medication. This has to be done at least forty-eight hours before activation. Will you follow us, please?"

Toji nodded, and turned to follow the other two men.

They led him down the corridor, to an elevator. Fuyutsuki pulled a key out of his jacket, and switched on the lowermost bank of buttons. The elevator door closed behind them, and his stomach protested as the cage dropped.

His stomach had been protesting for quite a few days now.

The elevator stopped, and the three walked down another long corridor, to a massive set of doors. Warning labels in six languages advised viewers that entry into this room was punishable by death. Toji glanced up at Fuyutsuki. "Should we really be going in there?"

Fuyutsuki smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm second in command." He swiped his passcard, and the doors slowly opened.

Much of the room was dark, but a single spotlight ringed a hospital bed with light. The doctor indicated the bed. "Climb on."

Toji shrugged, and did so. The doctor began strapping his legs down.

"Whoa." Toji sat up. "What are you--"

"We can't risk dislodging the IVs." The doctor pushed him back down. "Now hold still. The sooner we can get this started, the sooner it will be over."

Toji lay back down, and tried to relax. The doctor finished strapping his legs, then did the same to his arms. A belt ran across his chest, and a smaller one across his forehead.

"Comfortable?"

"Nervous as hell." Toji grinned weakly. The doctor rolled up his sleeve, and rubbed the inside of his arm with an alcohol swab. Next, he ran a rubber tube around his arm, and flicked the skin with a finger. A vein popped up obligingly, and the doctor started an IV. A bag of some liquid - Toji guessed it must be plasma - was attached to the IV, and the doctor moved out of the pool of light.

"So what exactly does this medicine do?"

Fuyutsuki smiled tightly. "A mild alteration to your DNA, to allow you to sync more easily with the EVA."

The doctor returned, pushing a gurney. On the gurney was...Rei. Toji gaped. "I thought she could already pilot?"

"Oh, this is not the Rei that you know." Fuyutsuki shook his head. "This is a mindless clone of the girl."

"So why is she here?"

"Why...she's the medicine."

Toji watched with mounting horror, as the doctor added an IV to the arm of the clone, then ran its line to feed her blood into his own veins.

- - - - -

Shinji knocked on the bathroom door. "Asuka?"

There was no answer. He glanced around, but Misato and Rei had gone out for some reason he hadn't caught. He knocked again.

"Go away."

Asuka's voice sounded weak. He sighed, and said, "Something's bothering you. I want to talk with you about it."

"Go away!" There was more of the usual fire in her voice now. "I don't really want to talk."

"Why not?"

"Because I promised I wouldn't!" She yelled this, and he flinched at the show of anger.

"Look, Asuka...whatever is wrong, I don't think you should keep it to yourself. Tell someone. If not me, then Misato, or even Rei."

"What makes you think there's anything wrong?"

"Because whenever you're upset about something, you go and hide in the bathroom." He glanced over to the laundry hamper, and added, "You're not in the tub, so you're probably sitting on the stool, rocking back and forth and feeling sorry for yourself."

"Are you taking telepathy lessons from the Droid?"

"I lived with her for months before you moved in." Shinji grinned. "After trying to read her, you're like an open book."

There was movement within, then the door opened, and Asuka glared at him. "So you're laughing at me. Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

"Actually, I'm not laughing at you." He stepped back, and to the side. "Come on. Let's go to the living room. You can grab a beer on the way there."

"I thought I was underage. That's what your fiancée keeps telling me."

"I won't tell Misato, and if she asks, I'll say it was part of your training."

- - - - -

_**You are so lonely.**_

Toji shook his head. "Who...?"

_**Your mother is gone. Your sister is gone. Your father is as good as gone.**_

"Who are you?"

_**I am your other half.**_

"Who--" He gasped. "Are you an Old One?"

_**I am the other half of what you shall become.**_

"Are you the EVA?"

_**Do you accept me?**_

He awoke, gasping. He was in a hospital bed. Sunlight streamed in the window, and he felt...good. Surprisingly good. He stood up, and stretched.

"Was it a nightmare?" He frowned, and scratched his head. "Did I just dream that they pumped me full of Rei's blood?" He stepped over to the mirror, and recoiled in shock.

His skin was pale, and his hair looked lighter...almost bleached. The most stunning change, though, were his eyes. They had gone red.

Just like _hers_.

- - - - -

Asuka stared down at her untouched beer. "Kaji was kinda like...like Misato is to you. My guardian. After Mutti died, he took me in. Treated me like his own daughter."

"And he could be dead." Shinji sighed. "I know how you feel. My dad--"

"You don't know!" Asuka scowled at him. "I didn't want him to treat me like his daughter. I wanted to be more!"

Shinji blinked.

"I've always loved him. Even before Mutti died, I loved him." She shook her head. "It's worrying me to death that he's...he might be gone."

"He sounds like a really great guy."

"He is. Handsome, charming, rugged, strong-willed...everything you're not." She looked down at her feet. "Shinji...do you think I'm...attractive?"

"I..." He blushed slightly, and looked away. "I suppose."

"You don't sound very certain."

"Well...I'm engaged to Rei. I don't think I should be looking--"

"I didn't ask you to look," she snapped. "But we both know you're a boy, and therefore a pervert! So you have been looking, whether you admit it or not!"

He flinched, and said, "Yes. You're a very attractive girl."

"God, you even say it the same way he does," she said bitterly. "And he never meant it. He'd always say that I was too young, that he wasn't good enough for me."

"Well, he kind of has a point, right?" Shinji shrugged. "He's the same age as Misato. What would you say if I was chasing Misato?"

"That you like your women top-heavy," smirked Asuka. Then sighed. "If you loved her, the way I love Kaji...I'd probably tease you about it. But I wouldn't mean it." She leaned back in the chair. "But you don't love anyone, do you?"

"I..." He looked down. "I don't know."

"What about the Droid?"

"Rei? I...I really don't know." He sighed. "I feel...like I _should_ love her. I mean, we're engaged, right?"

"Ever talked to her about it?"

"No." He shook his head. "I know she doesn't want to be engaged to me. But..."

"Spineless wimp." She snorted.

- - - - -

Rei was preparing her bed. She wore the shirt, which Shinji had learned had belonged to his father, over her underwear, as she always did to sleep. At least, since she'd moved into his room.

"Why do you wear that?"

She looked up, a trace of puzzlement on her face. "This shirt?" She tugged at it.

"Yes." He knelt down opposite her, looking at her across the two futons. "It's one of Father's, I know. But when you first moved to this apartment, you wore a t-shirt to bed instead."

"Would you prefer I wore the t-shirt?"

"I..." He blushed slightly; the t-shirt had done nothing to conceal her form. "I'm just asking...why do you wear that shirt, when you sleep in here?"

"I do not think it wise to discuss it." She looked down.

"All right." He glanced down at the futons. He'd left almost a foot of space between them, when she'd first moved into his room, and now they were close enough to touch along the edges. Any closer, and she might just as well roll hers up and sleep in his, with him. She ended up there often enough, as it was.

"What...what do you think about us being engaged?"

It had taken far more effort to ask than he had expected. She glanced up again, and he was dismayed to see the mask slip in place.

"It is a matter of orders, and I shall obey."

"Rei." He leaned forward. "Forget orders. What do you really think?"

The mask crumbled, and he saw the fear rise up in her eyes.

"Don't be afraid, Rei." He was speaking nearly in a whisper. "No matter what your answer is, I won't be angry."

"I..." She looked down again. "I do not know. I do not object to it, but..." She shook her head. "I do not know what to feel."

They sat in silence for a moment, then Rei fingered the top button of the shirt.

"Your father raised me." She undid the top button, her fingers shaking. "He taught me that to show emotion is weakness." Her fingers moved down to the next button. "He...reinforced that emotion is weakness." The third button opened next, her hands shaking more. "I wear this shirt to remind myself of that." The fourth button snapped off, her twitching hands unable to unbutton it properly. "I do not want to give him any reason to punish me." She tore the fifth button off, not bothering to even try undoing it, and pulled off the shirt. She wore nothing beneath it, but he could not tear his eyes away from her face. She stood, and pulled t-shirt out of her dresser, and slipped it on. Then turned back to him.

"It is late. Unit Four will be activated tomorrow. We should sleep."

- - - - -

_"Release me!" _

_She grabbed the uniformed man's wrist, and bent it backward until the bone cracked. A second guard tackled her about the waist; she brought her fist down on his head, caving his skull in and dropping him lifeless to the ground. She turned and ran towards the water. _

_"Mommy!" Shinji twisted in his father's grip, but the man was far too strong for a five-year-old to break free. _

_"She's not your mother anymore." _

_But she heard him, and turned to glance at him._

_Her face, framed by the pale blue hair, was changed. Her nostrils had grown over with skin, and her crimson eyes were larger. Her mouth opened, he was certain she said his name, but the sight drove the words from his hearing._

_Her mouth was filled with needle-like teeth._

- - - - -

"No!"

He sat bolt upright, gasping. He glanced around, uncertainly, and his eyes met Rei's.

Large, luminous eyes, gleaming in the semi-darkness, but not the nightmarish eyes of his dream. Eyes filled with concern, banishing the fear that normally lived there.

"I'm okay...just a nightmare."

"I could see it." The concern remained in her eyes. "You have had the dream before. But it was different this time."

"You..." He was still breathing heavily. "You're not wearing your A20 clip."

Her eyes widened, and flew to her hair. "You are correct."

"But you still saw the dream?"

Now the fear appeared.

"Please forgive me. I did not wish to intrude."

"I forgive you." He spoke hastily, remembering the last time he'd triggered this sort of response. "I'm not going to punish you, or anything."

The fear receded, but did not vanish entirely.

- - - - -

Toji sat in the entry plug, and waited. It was already filled with the Link Connection Liquid, its sharp metallic taste making his stomach roil.

"Activate A20 Nerve Connection."

"Set command interface to Japanese."

The tube flooded with colours.

_**Toji**_

He glanced around, but saw nothing. "Someone call me?"

"Negative, Pilot Suzuhara."

"Increase nerve stimulation."

"Approaching the Critical Point."

_**Toji**_

"Okay, who's callin' me?"

"It's probably the EVA, reaching out to you."

"Critical Point passed, and sync level rising rapidly."

_**TOJI**_

Two gleaming red eyes appeared in the semi-darkness before him.

"Who's there?"

"Toji?" Ritsuko's voice. "Who are you talking to?"

_**I offer you true vengeance, Toji.**_

"What d'ya mean?"

"Is your EVA active? Are you in the Dream?"

_**This is no Dream, Toji.**_ A black form began to appear around the eyes, a gaunt humanoid figure. _**You come to war on the Dreamlands. I offer you a better path.**_

"What path?"

_**I offer you the Dream. Do as I wish, accept me, and we shall destroy the greatest of the Old Ones.**_

"What are ya talkin' about?"

"I think he's talking to the EVA." Ritsuko's voice was concerned. "I'm not certain that this should be happening so soon. Rei was supposed to be training him."

Rei...her blood flowed through his veins now.

_**Already, the corrupted one pollutes your system. If you follow these, they will be your undoing. Join me, and come to the Dreamlands.**_

"You're from the Dreamlands?"

_**I am. With me, you could be the mightiest EVA pilot in history, do great things for your people. Do you accept me?**_

Blind rage overcame him. "NO!"

_**So be it. I need only the Child you are contained within.**_

The black shadow flowed towards him, and he burned. Surrounded in the liquid, he felt the fire over his skin, and burning in his veins. He was being eaten from within, and he screamed in pain.

- - - - -

"EVA-04 is active!" Ritsuko's voice was starting to panic. "Lock it down! Jettison umbilicus!"

"Jettisoned. Unit Four now on batteries, five minutes--" The technician paused. "Oh, shit. Doctor Akagi, the battery level is not falling."

"What?"

"It's not falling!" The technician jabbed a finger down on a button. "Self-test clear. The battery level is not dropping, it's maintaining full charge!"

"No response from the Pilot's remote sensors." Another technician was starting to fray. "I--I think he's gone!"

"Jettison the plug!"

"No response!"

EVA-04 tore itself loose from its bindings. Its fingers traced a sign in mid-air, and an energy blast tore into the wall. The hardened ceramicrete crumbled like styrofoam, and EVA-04 stalked out of the hangar.

- - - - -

"This was _not_ in the fucking book!" Gendo was all but foaming at the mouth.

"They called its author the Mad Monk. There might have been a reason."

"Now is not the time for humour, Fuyutsuki."

"We have been running spectral analysis on the energy trace." The older man turned to the monitor. "It matches the event in Nevada."

"So whatever is controlling Unit Four also likely destroyed Unit Three."

"Precisely. Possibly, Pilot Nagisa destroyed EVA-03 before whatever was trying to control it managed to complete its work."

Gendo considered this, then said, "Re-classify EVA-04 as an Old One. Deploy."

- - - - -

_My Brother approaches._

"Asuka, Rei. Shogoki tells me that the approaching target is an EVA!"

_Be warned, Dreamer Shinji. Shigoki is dangerously, dangerously insane._

Maya's voice cut through the comm net. "Shinji, we're deploying flechette guns. According to reports, the rogue EVA has lost most of its armour."

"Roger that." He paused. "Where's Misato?"

"She was at the activation. She hasn't reported back in yet."

"Activ--" He gasped. "Toji's in there! I thought it was rogue!"

_He has been possessed by an Old One from the Dreamlands._

"It is rogue." Maya's voice was brittle. "We have no bio-data from the Pilot, and we're afraid he's been absorbed by the EVA."

"But you can't know!" His voice was starting to become panicked, and he forced himself to calm down. "Can you view the internals of the plug?"

"No. We've lost all command circuits to EVA-04."

_Shogoki. Can you tell if there is a Dreamer with Shigoki?_

_No. But I can tell you that the Sleeper Toji was no Dreamer. I would be unable to sense him._

"Asuka, Rei. We can't risk killing Toji. We've got to disable it."

"Negative." Gendo's voice came over the comm net. "Destroy the target. All other considerations secondary."

"But--"

"That is a direct order, Pilot Ikari!"

"No! He's my friend." Shinji swallowed. "I have to try to save him."

"Disengage Unit One."

The plug went dark.

"No! Don't do this!"

"Pilot Sohryu. The entity that is controlling Unit Four is the same one that destroyed Unit Three."

There was a sharp silence, then Asuka whimpered.

"It killed Pilot Nagisa. It has certainly killed Pilot Suzuhara." Gendo paused, then added, "And it will certainly try to kill you."

"No..."

"This entity is likely responsible for the death of Ryougi Kaji."

"No!"

"Will you obey the order?"

"Yes!"

"Asuka, no!" Shinji yelled. "You've gotta--"

"Nigoki!"

A terrible roar burst from Nigoki, and it leaped joyfully towards battle. Shinji closed his eyes, but could not drown out the sounds of Shigoki's screams as Asuka and Nigoki ripped him limb from limb.

Silence fell.

_Shogoki?_

Nothing. He was cut off from her, his entry plug disconnected from her nervous system.

He was alone in the dark.


	12. Bode A Returning

_Disclaimer _

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing; Mnomquah created by Brian Lumley._

* * *

"Twice now, we have had attacks by Old Ones from the Dreamlands," said Misato. "After the first, we had all people who were comatose, but still technically alive, euthanized." 

Asuka gasped. "You can't mean that."

"It is horrible, and I feel very badly about it," Misato continued. "But I had to have it done. I gave the order myself."

Asuka looked down, and shuddered.

"The second time," continued Misato, "the Old One inhabited the body of an EVA, and destroyed its Pilot." She glanced over at Shinji. "I'm sorry, Shinji. They found nothing in the plug."

"It's all right." His voice was mechanical. "Toji would have preferred to die, rather than help an Old One."

"Your father fears that more attacks from the Dreamlands are possible," Misato said. "Because of this, he has ordered that you three cross into the Dreamlands, and learn more about them."

"And just how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Asuka scowled.

"I have no idea," admitted Misato. "But this is your mission, and you must find a way to accomplish it."

**- - - - -**

**Tail Kinker Presents**

**Fear**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Bode A Returning**

**- - - - -**

They stood on a staircase.

Asuka blinked. "Where are we?"

"No idea." Shinji shrugged, and looked around. "Stone stairs, stone walls and ceiling..."

"It is notably cool," said Rei.

"Yeah." He glanced down at himself, saw that he wore his school uniform. Rei and Asuka wore theirs as well, he noted. "So. Stairs. Up or down?"

"Up!" Asuka grinned. "Always up!"

They climbed the stairs.

"I wonder where they go?" mused Shinji.

Rei answered, "They go up."

"Thanks, Wonder Girl." Asuka's voice dripped sarcasm. "I think what your hubby is meaning to ask is, where will they end?"

"At the top."

"Oh, you are just a bundle of--"

"There is light ahead."

Asuka closed her mouth, and looked up. Torchlight flickered on the ceiling ahead of them. They reached the top of the stairs, and gazed out at the room beyond.

It was a massive circular room, ten meters at least high and three times that across. Another doorway stood on the other side of the room.

"Okay. We're at the top." Asuka glanced around. "Now what?"

"Well," said Shinji, "we can either go through that door over there, or turn around and go back."

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka glanced around the room angrily. "Why is this room here? Who put the torches up?"

"Does it matter?" Shinji shrugged.

"Of course it does! We're here to explore, and find out what's going on."

"You think we'll find it here?"

"This is the Dreamlands, right?"

"No!"

The voice echoed around the room. Shinji felt the hairs on his arms rise; he knew the voice.

Asuka also recognized it.

"Nigoki?"

Three forms appeared, shimmering in the torchlight. Not as huge as in the real world, the EVA still stood over three meters tall. Shogoki stepped forward.

"No person may enter the Dreamworld without a test." Her voice was surprisingly mellow, despite its volume and low pitch. Her mouth did not open as she spoke. "You may submit to the test, or you may turn back, and return to the real world."

Shinji swallowed. "And if we fail the test?"

"You may try again, another night."

"Okay." He stepped towards her. "Test me."

"What do you seek?"

"We..." He shrugged. "We came to stop Old Ones from--"

"No." She waved a hand. "What do you seek? Not now, but always."

He swallowed again; his mouth was dry. He glanced over his shoulder at the girls. "Do...Do they need to hear?"

"No."

He beckoned her downwards, and she knelt next to him. She had no ears, unless they were under the helmet, but he leaned in to where they might be, and whispered, "I want to be...I want acceptance. I want to feel like I'm not worthless."

"Will you find this in the Dreamlands?"

"I...I don't know."

She stood, and stepped back.

"Did I pass?"

"Dreamer Asuka." Nigoki's voice boomed out. "What do you seek?"

"To be the best!" She jerked a thumb towards her chest. "To prove to everyone that I am the greatest!"

He stepped forward, his speed blinding, and backhanded her across the face. She was knocked backward, sliding up against the wall. He leaped forwards, pinning her to the ground.

"Do not lie to me, girl! I know you better than either of those children."

"I--" She gasped, pain and fear mixed in her eyes. "I can't say it!"

"Then you shall turn back, and go back to the waking world, while the other two go on."

"No!" She cried out. "I don't want to be left alone!"

He slapped her face, gently. "Good girl." He stood up, and stepped back. Asuka gingerly rose, rubbing her face.

Zerogoki stepped forward, and pointed wordlessly at Rei.

"You wish to know what I want?"

He nodded, silent.

"Freedom. Freedom from fear and from pain." Her eyes were steady.

Zerogoki nodded, then stepped over to Shinji. One massive hand reached around, fingers grasping his hair, and tilted his head up roughly. Shinji gasped in pain, and stared up at the EVA.

Zerogoki leaned closer to him, and said, "FREEDOM!"

"I don't understand." He winced at the pain. Zerogoki shoved him backwards, and he stumbled, to be caught by Rei before he could fall.

"It takes courage to admit your needs," said Shogoki. She stepped aside, and indicated the far door. "You will need courage, in the lands beyond. They are wild and untamed, filled with monsters and Humans. It is just as dangerous in the Dreamlands as anywhere else. Do you accept the danger?"

"Yes." He did not hesitate.

"Yes." Rei stood straight and tall, staring at Zerogoki.

"Yes." Asuka stepped forwards, and stood with the other two Pilots.

"Then proceed, down the seven hundred steps to the Enchanted Wood."

- - - - -

Asuka sat on the last step, and rubbed her leg. "Seven hundred. I can feel every one."

"We lack the time for you to feel sorry for yourself."

"Shut up, Wonder Girl!"

"Speaking of time." Shinji glanced up. "I don't seem to have my watch."

"So?"

"So, does anyone know how long we've been here?"

Neither girl made any comment. Shinji nodded.

"I thought not." He sighed. "Our time in here is limited, but we don't know how limited, or how much time has passed."

"In that event," said Rei, "It does not seem that it would make any sense to concern ourselves with time."

"That was my point, really." Shinji nodded. "Asuka. Let us know when you're ready to proceed."

"I spend more time playing sports than both of you two put together," grumbled Asuka. "Why do my legs hurt more?"

"Perhaps they are supporting a greater mass than ours?"

"Are you saying I'm fat, Wonder Girl?"

"I did not say so." Rei paused, then added, "It is you that is complaining of sore legs."

"That's it!" Asuka jumped to her feet, and raised her fists. "I'm gonna smack you so goddamn hard that you're gonna feel it for days!"

"You appear to be recovered enough to walk again." She turned to Shinji. "Pilot Sohryu is ready to continue."

Shinji turned away from them, so that Asuka would not see his smirk and pummel him. "Let's go. We've got a path, so we might as well follow it."

- - - - -

The path led to a village. Shinji glanced around with a sense of wonder.

"I've been here before."

Small houses crowded the narrow streets. Everywhere he looked, there were cats. Sitting on windowsills, standing on barrels, perched on fences. Staring at him.

Asuka nodded. "I remember. We first met here."

They wandered through the streets and roads of the village. The houses were of a wide variety of constructions, mostly old. When Shinji glanced up to the sky above, he could see two moons.

"Where to now?"

Asuka glanced around nervously. "This place is creepy. No people here at all."

"There is one other Human here."

"Who said that?" Asuka whirled. "There's no-one--"

"Down here."

All three of the Pilots looked down. Seated nearby was a large ginger tabby.

"The cat?"

The tabby grinned. "That would be me." He stood up, on his back legs, and bowed.

"You--" Shinji shook his head, and bowed back to the cat. "Pleased to meet you."

"What other person?" Asuka bowed, then asked, "Who is this other Human?"

The cat glanced towards her. "All Humans come through here, when they enter the Dreamlands. Most move on, but one has been waiting here for five years."

"Who?"

"Wait, Asuka." Shinji raised his hand. "First, may I ask where we are?"

"Ulthar, the first town in the Dreamlands." The cat stretched out a paw, indicating the village. "Where no person may harm a cat. We come here, when we dream."

"So you're a cat back in the real world, but here..."

"Here, I am...well, an Ambassador of sorts." He grinned again. "I greet newcomers to the Dreamlands, and help them out if they need it."

"Well, we could use the help." Shinji grinned back; instinctively, he found he liked this cat. "Who is this other person?"

"She will meet only with you, Ikari Shinji." The cat frowned. "She was most insistent on that; she has held to the belief that you will eventually come here, and has waited for you."

"Who?"

The cat indicated a nearby house. "She is within, waiting for you. She has waited thirty years in that house, venturing out only infrequently."

"Thirty years, waiting for you, eh?" Asuka smirked. "Better not make her wait any longer."

Shinji nodded, and mutely entered the house.

"Great." Asuka sighed, and kicked at the road. "We're in a big rush, we don't even know how big a rush, and he goes off to chat with some old woman."

"Old?" The cat grinned again. "No-one ages in the Dreamlands. That woman is as young and as beautiful today as she was when she came here."

Asuka glanced over at Rei. "For a girl to wait thirty years to meet him...she must really be attached to him."

"That seems obvious."

Sensing a rare opportunity to needle the blue-haired girl, Asuka pressed her advantage home. "Aren't you worried, Wonder Girl?"

"No."

"No?" She smirked. "Some girl he hasn't met, young and beautiful, who's waited so long to meet him, and doesn't want to meet his fiancee? What if he elopes with her? Aren't you worried that you will lose him?"

"You should be more concerned than I."

"I don't think so." She scoffed. "You're welcome to the moron, as far as I'm concerned. Why should I worry?"

Rei glanced back over at the redhead. "I already know who she is."

- - - - -

The house was dark, though not pitch black. He glanced around, and his gaze fell on a figure sitting at the table in the corner. He could see nothing of her in the darkness.

"There is a candle by the door, and matches." Her voice was familiar, but he couldn't place it. He groped around, until his fingers fell on a candlestick. A few seconds later, he found the matches, and lit the candle. Light spilled out, illuminating the room, the table, and the woman.

He gasped.

The woman had the familiar angular face and tousled mop of hair, though her eyes were blue and her hair a mousy brown. She stood from the table, and walked towards him.

"Mom?"

She smiled. "You look well."

He threw himself in her arms, hugging her fiercely. "I thought you were dead!"

"I am."

He stepped back, and looked up in surprise.

"My body is dead. My spirit exists only here, in the Dreamlands." She smiled down sadly. "But fear not. I am happy here."

"Wait." Shinji shook his head. "The cat said you'd been here thirty years. But you drowned only nine years ago...nearly ten years, now."

"Time does not pass the same in the Dreamlands as it does on Earth." She frowned slightly. "But it does pass. And you have a mission. You will have seven nights here to complete it."

"What happens after seven nights?"

"You will wake up tomorrow."

Shinji considered this. "So you're saying that after seven nights here...we wake up, and it's tomorrow on Earth. So we could come back again."

"You could, but now that you have properly entered the Dreamlands, there is no controlling where you would come back."

"Oh."

"Or even that your companions would appear with you. So you three must complete your quest within seven days, or it will become much more difficult for you. But I have faith in you, Son." She smiled again. "And in your companions."

- - - - -

Shinji stepped back out into the moonlight. Asuka jumped to her feet.

"Well? Who was it?"

He pointed to the east. "We go that way. Six days, maybe five if we hurry."

"And then?"

He smiled bleakly. "And then...we do what we do. Fight and kill the Old One Mnomquah."

"That will be difficult," said Rei, "without our EVA."

"We'll have to manage." He turned to the cat. "Thank you."

The cat nodded gravely. "It was my pleasure."

"May I ask your name?"

"I am called Tiger Akagi."

"...Akagi?" Asuka blinked.

"Yes. You might tell Ritsuko, when you return to the waking world, that I miss her."

"Doctor Akagi is your owner?"

"Please." The cat's voice dripped disdain. "Dogs have owners. Cats have staff."

- - - - -

"Old villages, candles and lanterns, swords and armour." Asuka batted a tree limb out of her way; the path was not wide, and the forest crowded in on both sides. "You'd think we could get some horses."

"Have you seen any?"

"Shut up, Wonder Girl."

Rei turned towards the redhead. "I think it would be best if you ceased to refer to me by that nickname. I do not appreciate it."

"That's the point!"

"For my own part, I do not care. But your use of the nickname bothers Pilot Ikari."

Asuka stopped, and stared at her. "So you'll put up with any insult, unless it bothers him?"

"Words do not concern me; only actions." She glanced towards Shinji. "But I can see that it concerns him, that we do not work well together."

"You haven't been holding back with your own barbs."

Rei blinked, clearly surprised. "You are correct; my own behaviour has not set a good example." She turned to Shinji. "I apologize."

"Why are you apologizing to him?" Asuka jerked a thumb at her chest. "I'm the one you've been insulting!"

"Wait!" Shinji raised his voice above the argument. "Look, up ahead."

The two girls stopped, and looked ahead.

The path opened up, near a sheer stone cliff. Shinji hurried up to the wall, and planted a hand on it.

"This wall is far too smooth for me to climb." He glanced to the sides. "And the forest crowds right up to it; I cannot see any easy way past it."

"Great." Asuka sighed, and sat down on a nearby mossy rock. "Stopped by a wall."

"I could climb it," offered Rei.

"Maybe so, since you're the smallest of us." Shinji glanced up. "But we have no rope, and I don't see anything up there you could attach one to anyway. So we'd still be stuck." He frowned. "She said there'd be a guidepost."

"That woman, back in Ulthar?" Asuka frowned. "You still haven't told us who she was."

"There's no signposts, no caern, no gate...I wonder what she meant."

"It's not like we can double back and ask." The redhead sighed. "Three days gone already, and I doubt we're making good time." She absently kicked the boulder with her heels.

Then stopped.

"Shinji..." She jumped up, and turned to look at the boulder. "Could this be the guidepost?"

"Maybe." He walked up to it, and laid a hand on it. "There's something carved into it...under the moss."

He ripped at the moss, exposing the bare rock. A symbol came into view, a rather lopsided five-pointed star with an eye in the center.

"The Lesser Sign," said Rei.

"What do we do with it?" Asuka leaned over. "Maybe some kind of ritual?"

"A passage through the mountains..." He glanced back at the wall. "What if the passage goes literally right through the mountain?"

He threw his weight against the boulder, and it shifted.

"Good thinking!" Asuka put her shoulder to the rock. "Come on, Wond--" She gritted her teeth. "Rei."

With all three of them pushing, the boulder slowly slid away, revealing a stone-walled well. A ladder descended down into darkness.

"Anyone got a flashlight?"

Rei spoke up. "Once we are down below, we may find a light source."

"I dunno about you, Rei, but I'd rather not go feet first into the darkness." Asuka cast about, and grabbed a tree limb. "How about a torch?"

"We could spend all day trying to figure out how to light it." Rei glanced over at Shinji. "Do you have matches, or a lighter?"

Shinji shook his head. "No. I can't start a fire by rubbing two sticks together, either." He dug into his satchel. "Rations, water, that's it."

"Flint." Rei kicked at the ground, and a small chunk of rock flipped over. "Can you not use flint to start a fire?"

"Only if you have some metal..." Shinji blinked, and stuck his hand in his pocket. "I've got a coin. My lucky hundred-yen coin." He pulled it out, and flipped it. "I've always kept it on hand for emergencies."

"This is as close to an emergency as I've seen yet." Asuka grinned. "Well, it's your coin; you get to light the torch."

- - - - -

The torch landed on the stone floor, but did not go out. Shinji followed it, releasing the rusty metal ladder once his feet hit the ground. He wiped his hands on his pants, and picked up the torch.

"Okay, we got a stone passage." He touched a wall. "It's kind of damp, and definitely dirty, but it goes straight towards the mountains. I think that this is the way we have to go."

He shivered; the air down here was quite chill. The stone walls were well-fitted, but quite close together. He wasn't overly claustrophobic, but he wished there was more room.

"Look out below."

He glanced up, then stepped out of the way as Asuka dropped down beside him. She held an unlit torch, which she lit from his. "Rei's coming, let's get out of the way." They both moved some distance from the well. A third torch, also lit, dropped to the stone floor, and then Rei climbed down. She picked it up, then joined the other two.

"Might interest you to know, Rei, that Shinji here got a pretty good look up my skirt while I was climbing down." Asuka smacked Shinji across the back of the head. "The pervert."

"I doubt that he saw anything worth noting."

Asuka scowled, but decided against any further argument on this course. "I've got point." She turned and marched down the passage.

Shinji shrugged, then turned to Rei. "I didn't see a thing."

"Did I not say that?"

- - - - -

"How long have we been walking?"

"How should I know, Shinji? No watches, remember?" Asuka sighed, and added, "Sorry. My legs are starting to hurt again, so I figure it's been at least four hours."

"We have four days left, and we do not know how far this tunnel goes, nor how far from the other end the Pool of Tears would be." Rei paused, then added, "My legs are also sore. But I think we should keep moving."

"Why can't we rest?"

Shinji spoke up again. "If we stop to rest, we may fall asleep. If we fall asleep, our torches may go out, leaving us to travel in the dark. or they may consume all of our oxygen, leaving us to suffocate. We keep going."

"I hate it when you're right," muttered Asuka. She pressed a hand against the cold stone wall. "Dunno if I'd want to sleep in here anyway. It's like a tomb or something."

- - - - -

"There is light ahead."

Asuka glanced back at Rei. "I don't see any light."

"It is very faint." Rei pointed down the tunnel. "Approximately a kilometer and a half that way."

Asuka turned back the way they had been travelling. "Are you sure? I can't see a goddamn--wait. I can see it now." She set down her torch, walked some distance towards the light. "Yeah. It's the sunset."

"Can't be." Shinji shook his head. "We're walking east."

"But if it's the sunrise, then we've been here a lot longer than I thought." Asuka broke into a run. "Come on!"

They ran down the tunnel...and stopped.

It was not the sun at all, but lamplight. Dozens of lamps, illuminating a large stone chamber. The passage continued on the other side of the chamber, and a few side-passages, even more narrow, led off the sides.

In the center of the chamber was a massive table, carved of the living stone. And stretched out on the table was a half-butchered human being. Knives were laid out around the corpse.

"Everyone, grab a lantern and a knife." Shinji dropped his torch and walked up to the table. He did his best to ignore the corpse, but his eyes were drawn to the face. It stared up at him from a ruined face, almost accusingly. "Let's hurry, before the dinner guests arrive."

"Shinji." Rei turned towards him, and held something up.

It was a plug suit. The number 04 was visible on the chest.

"Oh, no...Toji." He turned back to the corpse. "How did he...?"

"He must have been brought here by the Old One."

Shinji shivered, and collapsed next to the table. "I'm sorry, Toji..."

"Shinji. We need to go."

"I..."

"We can mourn him later. But we gotta go now!" Asuka's voice had a thread of fear to it now. "If we don't get movin', we're gonna be mourning ourselves next!"

"Someone is coming."

Shinji stood, and turned towards the passage.

"Come on. We have an Old One to kill."

- - - - -

At long last, the passage opened up into a valley. Shinji blinked in the light, and looked around.

Stunted trees grew throughout the valley, except in the center. There, thirteen tall stones stood around a pool.

"Is that it? The Pool of Tears?"

"One way to find out." Asuka set down her lantern, and started down the slope.

"Wait!" Shinji ran up to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. "We should rest before we go down there."

"Forget it." Asuka shook her head. "It's right there, and as soon as we kill Mnomquah, we can go home, right?"

"No." He shook his head. "Killing Mnomquah is secondary. Our primary job is to destroy the Pool of Tears."

"How do we do that?"

"I don't know!" He scowled. "I haven't got the foggiest clue! Do you?"

"We knock down one of the stones."

They both turned to face Rei.

"One of the stones?" Shinji looked puzzled.

"How do you know this, Wonder Girl? I mean--" Asuka bit her lip.

"The stones act as a focus for the Flow." Rei closed her eyes. "I can feel it, rushing into the Pool." She opened her eyes again. "Remove even one stone, we break the Flow, and it would require hundreds of years for the Pool to recover."

Asuka glanced over at Shinji. "Your girlfriend is creepy."

"Handy, isn't it?" Shinji grinned. "Okay, Asuka. Your way makes more sense. We just go knock over one stone."

They rushed down the slope.

"These suckers are huge." Asuka walked up to one of the standing stones. It stood four meters tall, and obviously weighed many tonnes. "I'm not sure we can do this now."

"Rei." Shinji glanced over to the albino girl. "Can you affect the Flow without an EVA?"

"I think that I can, in this place." She closed her eyes, then opened them again. "The Old One is nearby."

"Oh, shit. Hurry!"

Rei raised her hands before her, and frowned in concentration. The nearest standing stone began to vibrate.

"It's working!" Asuka sounded excited. "Way to go, Wonder--"

Her voice was cut off by a sudden, gasping cough. Shinji turned, to see the redheaded girl staring down at the massive claw penetrating from her chest. She looked up, an expression of surprise on her face.

"Asuka..." Shinji stumbled forward a step. She reached up towards him, then collapsed.

Mnomquah rose up from the pool behind her. A massive lizardlike form, a crown of tentacles springing from his head and empty eyesockets staring down at the two remaining children. He lifted Asuka over his head, then tossed her limp body aside contemptuously.

There was no thought in Shinji's head except vengeance. He grabbed a nearby rock, and charged the creature, bellowing his rage. Mnomquah casually slapped him, and he flew backward to slam into one of the monoliths. The impact knocked the breath from him, and he struggled to rise.

Mnomquah stepped forwards again, the empty lidless sockets focused on Rei. To any other observer, she would have seemed cool and collected, but Shinji could see the terror behind the mask. She raised her hand, and waved it towards the monolith.

It shattered into a thousand pieces. Mnomquah roared in rage, stepped fowards again, and swung a massive fist straight down on Rei.

"No!" Shinji pushed himself to his feet. The effort made him cough, and he saw flecks of blood flying from his lips. "Fucking bastard!" He closed his eyes.

_The Flow. Rei could tap it...maybe I can--_

There was nothing. He opened his eyes again, looked up at the approaching Old One. He stared up at the creature, resignation setting in.

"Fine. Go ahead." He smirked. "She already destroyed the monolith. You're trapped here now."

The claws descended, and he cried out in pain as they carved into his torso. The pain lasted only a few seconds before the darkness took him.


	13. Season of Doom

_Disclaimer_

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights._

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing._

* * *

The end was almost upon him now. He knew it; he could feel it coming. He didn't need to see the buzzards circling above him. 

The sun was only a handsbreadth above the horizon, and already beating down on him mercilessly. Every bit of desert survival lore he knew had kept him alive to this point, but it was unlikely to help for much longer. He was running out of water, he was completely out of food, and he doubted that he'd find shelter soon.

The desert was going to win this one.

He thought again of the pistol in his pocket. He would have discarded it a while ago, but there was always the chance he could shoot something to eat. He hadn't seen much yet; whatever creatures lived in this desert, they were better at hiding than he was at finding them. But perhaps the pistol could serve another use. Certainly, death by his own hand would be preferable to death by exposure or dehydration. But he shied away from the thought. As long as he drew breath, there was a chance he could make it out of this alive.

Another cactus, twenty feet away. He crawled towards it, unable to stand upright. Another mouthful of water, and maybe he could keep going. He pulled himself to a crouch, broke off a branch, mindless of the thorns.

The rattlesnake was buried under the sand; frightened by his movement, it lashed out, sinking its fangs into his arm. He grabbed it, threw it away, and immediately started sucking at the wound.

_Goddamn snakes..._ He spat, sucked out more blood and toxin and spat again.

At another time, in another place, he would have survived. But he already felt the tingling at the base of his neck; the rattlesnake's venom was affecting him swiftly. Weakened by water loss and heat exhaustion, he was losing the fight.

He fell over, his vision clouding as the sun burned into his retinas.

_Sorry, Misato...I had a chance to..._

Darkness took him before he could complete the thought.

**- - - - -**

**Tail Kinker Presents**

**Fear**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Season Of Doom**

**- - - - -**

"Cardiac arrest."

"Begin pulmonary resuscitation."

"Yes, Doctor."

Asuka ran over to the tube. Misato followed her closely; the German girl was still rather shaky on her feet. "What's happening? Is he all right?"

"He's had a heart attack." Misato scowled at the plug. "They're jumpstarting his heart."

"Oh, my God." Asuka collapsed to her knees. "Shinji, don't you dare die on me!"

Rei put a hand on her shoulder. "He will survive. We are harder to kill than you think."

"Please, Shinji, don't die. I take back the mean things I said about you. I don't want you to die." Asuka didn't seem to realize that she was babbling. "I don't want you to die, I don't want you to die..."

"His heart is stopped!" Misato yelled at the redhead. "He's already dead!"

Asuka paled in shock, and buried her head in her hands.

"EKG is solid. His heart is beating again."

"_Gott in Himmel!_"

Misato grabbed the redhead. "Come on, get back. They're going to extract the plug."

The massive cams ground into action, drawing the plug from the pool of LCL and placing it on its support rack. Two technicians worked the hatch, draining the plug and extracting the limp, unconscious form from within. Shinji spasmed, LCL spurting from his nose and mouth, and then fell still. Misato stepped forward quickly, touched two fingers to his neck.

"I've got a clean pulse." She leaned down, putting her cheek next to his face. "Respiration." She turned to the technicians. "Get me a gurney. Take him to ICU fifteen, get him hooked up stat."

The technicians manoeuvred him onto the gurney, and wheeled him out. Asuka watched him leave, hands clasped in her lap.

Misato glanced over at the redhead, and couldn't resist needling her. "Seemed kinda frantic there, Asuka. Maybe you don't hate him as much as you claim?"

Asuka stiffened, then sniffed. "Do you know how long it would take me to break in a new Pilot?"

- - - - -

_Shinji, wake up._

Why should he wake up? He was dead. And rather comfortably, as well.

_Shinji, wake up._

They stopped Mnomquah, they closed the Gate to the Dreamlands, and destroyed the Pool of Tears. Mission accomplished. Couldn't he just stay dead?

_Shinji, wake up._

He blinked his eyes, and saw the hospital ceiling above him. Someone was holding his hand, but released it when his eyes opened. He looked to the side, and saw Rei sitting next to him, still in her plugsuit.

"...Rei?"

"You are awake." She stood. "I must inform Captain Katsuragi."

"Okay." He still felt weak; the questions he had would have to wait.

Misato walked in, looking every inch the superior military officer. "Pilot Ikari."

He sat up as best he could. "Yes, Captain."

"Report on mission status?"

"Mission complete." He nodded. "We destroyed the means of accessing the real world from the Dreamlands."

"Excellent." She pulled off her beret and collapsed into a nearby chair. "Don't take this the wrong way, Shinji, but I'm glad as hell that they've got you doing this job and not me."

"I wish I could say the same." He glanced over at Rei. "But the job has its perks."

"Heh." Misato picked at a ball of lint on her beret. "Asuka and Rei have already been formally debriefed, but you've been unconscious since we pulled you from the plug four hours ago. Your formal debriefing is scheduled for oh-eight-hundred tomorrow."

"I have school tomorrow."

Misato sniffed. "I think that a formal NERV debriefing is a little more important than school."

"I was merely reminding you that you'll need to call the school and inform them that I won't be available."

Misato frowned, and glanced over at Rei, then back to Shinji. "Are you sure you two aren't already married?"

Shinji chuckled at that, and then asked, "Can you pull up some records for me?"

"Depends." Misato shrugged. "What do you need?"

"Imboca, Innsmouth and Okinawa." Shinji frowned. "I got some information from the Dreamlands. I think it has to do with the Old Ones. The United States Navy torpedoed Innsmouth in the thirties, and the Spanish Government hit Imboca in 2005. The coral reef outside of Okinawa was depth-charged with an N2 mine in 2006. I need to know everything that you can find about this."

"I'll see what I can dig up." Misato considered, and then added, "If I speak to your father--"

"No." Shinji shook his head. "My...contact...in the Dreamlands warned me not to trust him."

"That is unfair." Rei spoke up. "The Commander has the defeat of the Old Ones as his primary goal."

"I don't think so," said Shinji. "My contact stated that he was after one only. He doesn't care about the rest, save that if they destroy NERV, he won't have the means to kill the one he wants."

- - - - -

They had insisted on keeping him overnight for observation. Rei had wanted to stay with him, citing her concern for her instructor, but Misato had overruled her.

He hoped that she wouldn't have a nightmare tonight.

He wasn't really sleeping, just staring up at the ceiling and dozing slightly. He doubted he would be able to sleep tonight; too much to worry about.

There was a movement at the door; he came more fully awake and looked over. His father stood there, a scroll in his hand. It seemed rather out of place in this technological fortress, but there it was: a scroll of some delicate material, aged and frayed, wrapped with a red cloth ribbon.

"How are you doing, son?" His father looked concerned.

Shinji just stared back at him.

"They only told me a short while ago that you'd had a heart attack. I came down as soon as I could." He fidgeted, scratching his beard lightly. "If you had died--"

"If I had died," said Shinji coldly, "you would have replaced me."

"That--" His father looked shocked. "How could I replace you? My own son--"

"You cast Mother aside, when you saw what she was becoming." Shinji scowled, and looked away. "Why did you engage me to Rei?"

"She's been abused, and I felt that--"

"Don't lie to me!" Shinji's voice rose. "She looks identical to Mother. Like me and Asuka, she heals fast. She is fearsomely strong. Anyone who _could_ abuse her would likely have to kill her, or give up sleeping."

"Abuse takes many forms, Shinji." Gendo looked down. "I am not proud of what I did to you. I only felt that I had to, because I would not be a good father to you. Not after losing your mother."

"Don't change the subject," he snapped. Gendo looked up again, the surprise showing through the mask. "Why did you engage me to Rei?"

"It was for your benefit, and hers," he said. His voice firmed up. "At all times, I have had your benefit, and hers, at heart. All that I have done, I have done for you and for her!"

"That's what worries me the most," said Shinji.

"You cannot pretend that you feel nothing for her." Gendo sat down on a nearby chair. "I've seen you two, and I've received reports from Captain Katsuragi."

"I'm not going to discuss my relationship with Rei." Shinji looked away. "That's my responsibility, not yours."

"My responsibility is to ensure that you and she have a world to live in. The Old Ones--"

Shinji looked back at him again. "The Old Ones. You have some kind of source, don't you? A book. Something that tells you what to expect, when they will come."

"Yes." Gendo held up the scroll. "I was coming to give you these. Six pages from the Necronomicon."

He couldn't help it; he laughed. "The Necronomicon? Give me a break!"

"The book has been given many names over its long history. The Necronomicon is the most common name, and it has given rise to its own body of myth. But the original Necronomicon has never been gathered in one place until now."

"And it tells of the Old Ones?" He couldn't help his curiosity now.

"Yes." Gendo laid the scrolls on the nightstand. "I am entrusting these to you; let no-one else see them, especially Rei."

"Why not Rei?"

"I cannot say." He shook his head. "These scrolls will tell you what you need to know of the next Old One...as well as information on the Deep Ones."

"What are the Deep Ones?"

"It's in the scrolls." He tapped them gently. "With the information you requested from Captain Katsuragi, you should be able to piece together what you need to know."

- - - - -

"Katsuragi residence." Misato frowned, then said, "Yeah. She's here. Why didn't you just call her cell?" She paused, then shrugged. "Okay, gimme a second."

She walked down the hall to the room that Rei and Shinji shared, and knocked on the door. "Rei? Phone call. It's the Commander."

Rei opened the door, a confused look on her face, and took the portable phone. "Yes." She paused, then frowned slightly. "Is this the result of the last battle?"

Misato frowned as well.

"I understand." She killed the phone, then turned to Misato. "Commander Ikari believes it may be necessary to deactivate Zerogoki."

"Oh, Rei..."

"He believes that his actions during the last battle displayed an uncharacteristic element that may render him unstable." Rei looked down. "He may have to be destroyed."

- - - - -

"I found the connection." Shinji tossed the scroll onto Ritsuko's desk.

Ritsuko looked up. "What connection?"

"Imboca. Innsmouth. Okinawa." Shinji indicated the scroll. "Three cities of underwater creatures, that the writer of this scroll called Deep Ones."

"Oh." Ritsuko nodded. "So what's the connection?"

"Deep Ones are apparently cross-fertile with Humans."

"You're kidding!" The Doctor paused as she took in the cold mask of his face. "No, I see that you are not."

"Mom was from Okinawa. So was Asuka's mother." Shinji shuddered. "The description of the Deep Ones...it seems that my mother was slowly turning into one. Apparently, when they start turning, they feel an uncontrollable urge to go to the sea. Asuka's mother..." He swallowed. "She went insane, because they prevented her from returning to the sea."

"So they were Deep One hybrids."

"Yeah." He laughed, a bit unsteadily. "And that makes me and Asuka Deep One hybrids as well, but not as strongly. We still heal fast, and I imagine..." He swallowed. "I figure we'll start turning into them as well, eventually."

"Oh, Shinji..." Ritsuko looked down. "I--"

"But Rei." Shinji shook his head. "She heals fast, as well, and she's frightfully strong. I think she might be half Deep One."

"No." Ritsuko shook her head. "Rei is something else." She reached into a pocket, and extracted a data card. "Kaji sent this to Misato, but she asked me to check it for viruses and such before she used it."

Shinji smirked. "Curiosity killed the cat, Ritsuko."

"I know." She stood up. "Follow me."

"By the way. Tiger says hi."

Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

- - - - -

Asuka knocked hesitantly on the door. "Rei?" She scowled; she wasn't used to being the first up. "There's no coffee, no toast, no stupid soup..." She yanked open the bedroom door, and stormed in. "Hey! Wonder Girl!"

Her jaw dropped in surprise. Rei was seated on the futon, knees pulled up against her chest. Clutched between her knees and breasts was a pillow; her arms were wrapped around it, and her face buried in it. She rocked back and forth slowly, making not a sound.

Asuka took a step back, slowly. "Never mind. I can make breakfast."

Rei looked up at her. Asuka was expecting a tear-streaked face, but Rei's expression was composed.

"Pilot Sohryu." She hesitated, then continued. "I would ask for your assistance."

"Ummm...sure." Asuka walked back into the bedroom, and sat down in front of Rei. "I..." She scratched her head. "Misato told me they were thinking of deactivating--"

"I do not wish to speak of this." Rei shook her head. "In fact, I most specifically insist that we not speak of this."

"All right." Asuka shrugged. "Then what do you want to talk about?"

"Anything else." Rei looked down. "Tell me of something happy in your past."

"Happy in my past?" Asuka snickered. "Not a lot, really." She sighed, and shuffled her feet. "The happiest I remember being is the day that I first synced with Nigoki. I ran home to tell Mutti...and..." Asuka shook her head. "Not a good memory."

"What about your first victory with Nigoki?"

"Yeah. Real happy time." Asuka's voice dripped venom. "I needed Shinji's help to be able to sync enough to fight, and then I got possessed by Nigoki. And he didn't even find me worthy of possession." She snorted. "Even you were creeped out over that. How do you think I felt?"

Rei smiled slightly. "I do recall that I was...disturbed."

"You were cowering in the closet!" Asuka giggled. "And then Misato and Shinji tried to get me in that group hug!"

"It was only fitting. After all, you had already kissed me. The other two needed some affection."

"Was that a joke?" Asuka snickered again. "Wow, make a note of the date and time!" She sobered. "But there's not a lot of happy times, really. Except after I came here, there were a few times that were...less painful." She looked down. "You've probably had a lot happier times than me."

"It was only recently that I learned that life need not be painful," said Rei.

"Really?" Asuka looked up.

"My earliest memory is of being told by Commander Ikari that my parents would not care for me, because I had no purpose." Rei looked down again. "He acted as my Guardian...and I felt that the way he acted must be right. Until I came here." She smiled softly. "Misato treated me more kindly than anyone else here. She lives a life free of discipline, where her whim is the only rule. Freedom and kindness are the mainstays of her life." She looked up at Asuka, and the redhead was surprised to see sadness in the albino's eyes. "I was afraid of her. I was afraid of Shinji, who only wanted to offer me kindness."

"Sure he did," muttered Asuka sarcastically. "All teenage boys are suffused with kindness...until they get your bra unhooked."

"I was taken from my apartment, where I was alone. I was placed in a situation where physical contact was frequent...and Commander Ikari had never touched me, save to punish me." Rei clenched the pillow more tightly to her chest. "I was so afraid..."

"You know, Rei..." Asuka cleared her throat. "I'm kind of honoured that you're willing to tell me all this. I mean, you don't seem the sort to really open up to anyone...least of all me."

Rei smiled bitterly. "This is true."

"Why can't you tell Shinji any of this?"

"I..." She shook her head. "He is not here, and I must tell someone."

"Why not Misato?"

"No." She shook her head again. "In a lot of ways, I still fear Misato. Even Shinji, I still fear sometimes."

"Not me?" Asuka smirked. "Should I be offended?"

"Probably." Rei's voice turned a bit frosty. "You have gone out of your way to offend and aggravate me since you arrived...and I have done much the same to you. And I apologize."

Asuka shrugged. "Hey, if Wonder Girl can make mistakes, surely us lesser mortals can do the same, right?"

"Indeed. However, I was counting on you to make my share of mistakes as well as your own."

"Two in one day!" Asuka grinned. "There's hope for you yet!" She reached forward to tousle Rei's hair.

It was a mistake.

The instant that her hand fell on Rei's head, the other girl stiffened, then scrabbled away backwards. The pillow fell to the floor, and Rei came hard up against the wall, gulping huge breaths of air.

"What the hell?" Asuka scowled, feeling her good mood evaporate instantly. "All I do is--"

"No!" Rei shook her head. "No, it's not right!"

"What--"

Rei squeezed her eyes shut. "Calm..." She shook her head again. "No!" Her eyes snapped open, and Asuka was shocked to see cold, naked fear shining out through the mask.

"You should not have done that." Rei swallowed, and said, "She's coming now."

"Who?" Asuka was nearly yelling.

"The Old One!"

- - - - -

Shinji looked at the signs posted around the door. "Are you sure we should be here?"

"I am quite certain that we should not be." Misato glanced about, then slid the card through a reader. The door opened, and Ritsuko stepped through.

"Most of the card was full of pornographic pictures. It seemed very like Kaji to send something like that to Misato." She smirked. "So of course, I got suspicious."

"You knew him?"

"Misato, Kaji and I were friends all through college." She looked over her shoulder. "Trust me, he was very much the womanizer."

"Why is this room so dark?"

"You'll see in a minute." She stopped by another door. "I dug a little deeper into the card, and found some concealed, encrypted files. Took me most of the day to crack them. What I found was...disturbing."

She flicked a switch, and the room was flooded with light. Shinji glanced around.

There was a small, rather poor-quality bed, a chair, and a chest of drawers. He walked over, and put a hand on the drawers.

Memories flooded into his mind...not his own memories, but someone else's. Rei's; he felt her presence. "This was Rei's room, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Ritsuko nodded. "She was born in the next room, and lived her first seven years here."

"Seven--?"

"Until your father 'adopted' her."

He turned to face the Doctor. "What is--" He shook his head. "There's something not right."

Ritsuko slid the card through another reader, and the second door opened. "The answers are in here."

Shinji hesitated. "I'm not sure I want to--"

"You need to." Ritsuko's face hardened. "If you want to truly understand what's going on here, you need to go through this door."

He took a faltering step towards the door; his legs were not co-operating.

"Shinji, we don't have all night." Ritsuko looked more scared than impatient.

He swallowed, and walked through the door.

The room beyond was poorly lit, but most of the light was focused on the three large tanks. Shinji stared at them, his gaze moving along the rows of humanoid figures within.

Rei. Hundreds of times over, Rei. Every one of them a carbon copy of his fiancee.

"What the fuck is this?" His voice was weak and unsteady.

"Rei is a clone," said Ritsuko. "From what Kaji learned, she was a composite clone of three beings."

"Mom was one of them." It was not a question. "That's why Rei looks so much like her."

"Yes. Another was Misato. She doesn't know; Kaji planned to tell her. And the third--"

"Rei has had dreams, involving Misato," interrupted Shinji. "And I think she suspects that she's somehow tied to Mom."

"The third life-form is the dangerous one." Ritsuko seemed to steel herself. "Part of Rei's DNA pattern is Evangelion."

"...What?"

"The same process that was used to create the Evangelions was used to create Rei." Ritsuko shook her head. "She is a descendant of an Old One."

"Does she know?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "I don't think so."

"No, she doesn't."

Shinji gasped, and whirled to see his father standing behind them.

"Bastard!" spat Ritsuko. "You're worse than the Old Ones. At least they have the power to get away with playing at God. You'll cast her aside, once you've gotten what you need. Just like me. Just like Yui."

"Be very cautious, Akagi." Gendo's voice was cold and hard.

"Fuck you." She turned and stalked towards him. "I'm gonna do exactly what I should have done hours ago."

The shot echoed loudly in the cavernous chamber. Ritsuko's anger gave way to surprise, as the blood welled out of the sudden hole in her tunic. She dropped to her knees, then slumped to the side.

Shinji whirled to face Gendo. "You son of a--"

He turned the gun towards Shinji. "Do not make the same mistake she did."

"Gonna gun me down too?" He laughed bitterly. "We both know you hate my kind."

Gendo uncocked the pistol, flipped the safety on and returned it to his pocket. "You still have your part to play."

"What's to stop me from telling everyone what you have going on down here?"

Gendo smirked, and asked him, "Do you look forward to telling Rei?"

Ice formed around his heart. "Bastard." He looked down. "That's why you engaged me to her...you knew I couldn't tell her."

"As I said...for your good, and hers." He turned and walked from the chamber. "An Old One will be here in minutes. It is time to play your part."


	14. Madness Will Reign

_Disclaimer_

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights._

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing. Cthylla was created by Brian Lumley, and detailed by Tina L. Jens. _

* * *

The blue Alpine screeched to a halt, sliding through a 180-degree turn and coming to rest just outside the main doors. Misato threw on the parking brake and leaped out of the car. She turned back as the two girls got out behind her.

"Get to the cages, suit up, and get ready for battle."

"Yes, ma'am!" Asuka threw a credible salute, then turned and ran off.

"Commander Ikari has not authorized the release of Zerogoki." Rei looked down. "I can sense the Old One coming, and I believe we will need all three."

"Get below, and suit up. If it gets bad enough, we'll launch Zerogoki, no matter what the Commander says."

Rei nodded. Misato turned and ran through the gates.

The elevator seemed to take forever to reach the command deck. The doors finally opened, and Misato ran in, grabbed a headset, and tucked it in place. She turned to Aoba.

"Any word from Shinji?"

"He's at the cages, already in his plugsuit." Aoba tucked a lock of hair back behind his ear, and tapped a command into his terminal. "EVA Unit One is charging now."

"Maya." Misato turned to the technician. "Any ID on the approaching Old One?"

"Not yet." Maya shook her head, and added, "The MAGI database is incomplete, however."

"Where the hell is Ritsuko?"

Gendo's voice cut through the calamity. "Doctor Akagi will not be joining us."

She turned, to face him. He was seated at his desk, Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki standing nearby. "Where is she?"

"She is not currently able to assume her duties." Gendo's hands folded in front of his face. "You will need to proceed without her."

**- - - - -**

**Tail Kinker Presents**

**Fear**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Madness Will Reign**

**- - - - -**

Asuka stalked into the cage, to see Shinji seated in his still-open plug.

"Why haven't they launched you yet?"

"I dunno." He shrugged. "The Commander decided to send you and Nigoki first."

"Oh, well that makes sense." She grinned. "If he sends the best first, he doesn't have to send you."

"Yeah..." Shinji looked away.

Asuka frowned, and asked, "Did something happen?"

"I--" He sighed. "I'll tell you later."

- - - - -

"Asuka reports ready, Captain."

"Insert the plug."

"Plug insertion."

"Captain!" Hyuuga turned to face her. "We have a gate forming inside the Geofront!"

"Polarize." The windows immediately fogged, preventing a view of the Geofront. "Status of Unit Two?"

"Internal power charging, now at sixty percent."

"Plug fully inserted."

"Start A20 induction."

"Command language set to German."

"Route to Geofront confirmed clear by visual inspection."

"Captain Katsuragi."

She turned to face the Commander. "Sir?"

"I have identified the Old One. Destruction of this target is your primary goal." He frowned. "All other considerations, including pilot survival, are to be considered secondary."

"Aye, sir." She turned back. "Evangelion Unit Two, launch!"

- - - - -

_He rose from the depths, to find himself in the strange alien city. Deep below the surface still, but no longer caged like a beast._

_His Dreamer hungered for the Dream, now. She gave herself willingly and consciously, her berserker fury a match for his own. At her silent suggestion, he readied the strange weapon that travelled alongside him in the elevating cage._

**Neither matter nor energy have effect on the Old Ones. I would think that you had learned this now.**

Others, less enlightened than I, have not yet learned. _The red-haired Dreamer smirked._ And who knows? Perhaps, this time they have come up with something that _will_ work.

_He stepped around the elevator cage, and snapped up the gun pod._

_Cthylla._

_The Old One had six long tentacles, each tipped with a razor sharp talon, as long as his hand. Two small membranous wings sprouted from an ugly red lump of a body. As he watched, the wings lengthened, stretching out towards the dome above._

**She is changing, so that she may fly.**

Not if we can help it.

_The gun pod responded to their will, directed by the armour. It roared, pumping round after round into the vile being. To his mild surprise, it actually seemed to be hurting her. She squalled, retracting her tentacles, and traced a sign in the air._

_A barrier sprang up between them, and further projectiles bounced harmlessly off of it. He discarded the gun pod; it would not breach this barrier. But if the barrier was attuned to stop matter or energy, the Flow might be able to pierce it._

_He raised his hands, and traced the patterns. The air between his hands began to heat, reaching massive temperatures. Within less than a second, he now held at bay a fury to match this world's star. But mere energy alone would not pierce Cthylla's barrier._

_He stepped forward, and pushed a tendril of the Flow towards the barrier. It weakened, and he allowed the superheated air to blast through the newly-formed hole. The barrier contained the fusion-hot air, save where it had been pierced, and formed the resulting blast into a dome, with Cthylla trapped in the centre._

_The air cooled rapidly, once released from the Flow. But it was immediately apparent that this tactic had failed; Cthylla remained unharmed._

**She is still proof against energy and matter; whatever was in that rifle worked, but we are out of ammunition.**

_The Dreamer withdrew momentarily, and spoke to her Sleeper companions. "Misato! Send up another palette rifle."_

_"We're all out of the new ammunition, Asuka."_

_The Dreamer was upset. "Never mind then, let's not waste any more ammo."_

**It will have to be the Flow again. I have a doubt, my Dreamer.**

We cannot afford doubts. The Dreamer opened herself completely again, and battle rage suffused him.

_His hand flexed, and the Lance appeared. We shall carve our way through the Barrier. His legs tensed, and he sprang forward, Lance held on high._

- - - - -

Asuka's screams of rage returned, as EVA-02 charged the beast. There was a visible flash as it cut through whatever field was protecting the Old One, and the glowing crowbill that it had summoned from thin air vanished. EVA-02 raised a gauntleted fist, and a beam of energy flashed between it and the Old One. The monster howled, the noise reaching even down to the Command Deck. And then it retaliated.

"Sweet merciful God."

One massive tentacle wrapped around EVA-02, trapping an arm against its torso. Another wrapped around the legs, and a third slashed down, severing its free arm. Blood spilled from the wound, a veritable river, and it screamed in pain.

Maya put a hand against her mouth. "Massive intra-neural trauma. The pilot's sync rate is well over one hundred percent; she can -feel- that!"

The claw struck again, this time severing the EVA's head.

"Cranial trauma! Sync rate is now dropping. What the hell is going on out there?" She turned towards Misato's monitor.

"Eyes front, Ibuki!" Misato snapped. She watched as Cthylla dropped the EVA. "Stand by recovery. Patch me into EVA-01."

"You can still detonate the core," said the Commander.

"No." Misato shook her head. "I'm not about to kill Asuka just yet."

"Pilot survival is secondary to--"

"Blowing up the EVA won't even scratch the Old One." Misato turned and glared at him. "I'm not going to sacrifice a Pilot and an EVA to no effect."

There was a cold silence, then the Commander nodded. "You are correct. Continue."

- - - - -

The plug sealed, much to Shinji's surprise. He tapped the communications net. "What's going on?"

"We're deploying you and Unit One. Get ready."

The LCL flooded into the tube, and he fought down the panic.

"As usual, conventional weapons are not working." Misato's voice was calm. "Unit Two is down, and we're working on recovering it, but the GeoFront is still a combat zone."

"Is Asuka--"

"We don't know." Misato looked away. "EVA-02 is badly damaged, and she was over a hundred percent sync. She is not responding to messages, but the commo gear could have been damaged."

"I can get her out of there."

"No." She shook her head. "Destruction of the Old One must be our top priority. You can assist with pickup after you destroy the target."

A second screen flared into existence, Rei's ghostly face wavering in the LCL. "Captain Katsuragi. I can make pickup on Pilot Sohryu while Pilot Ikari is engaged in combat."

"We need you as our reserve, Rei."

"If I am making pickup, I am not in combat."

"I'm sorry." She shook her head. "Unit Zero is still under lockdown."

"Misato!" Shinji leaned forwards. "We can always build more EVA. But trust me: There are no more Dreamers!"

"The decision is not in my hands, Pilot Ikari."

He bit down a retort, and said, "Understood, Captain."

"Stand by for plug insertion."

The massive cams rotated the plug into position, and he felt the familiar tumbling, falling sensation as it locked into place. The tube flooded with colours, before clearing and allowing him to see the cages.

"A20 nerve induction."

"Set command language to Japanese."

"Route to Geofront confirmed clear by--wait!" Aoba's voice held a note of panic. "The target has reached the planned launch point, and is beginning to descend."

"What?" Shinji's panic grew worse.

"Charge status?"

"Full."

"Good. Shinji, can you and Shogoki dislodge that thing?"

Kinetic strike?

Yes, I think so.

Shogoki raised a hand, and a bolt of force slammed into the Old One. The force pushed the creature back from the opening, and it quickly moved off. Shinji stepped back from the Dream, and said to Misato, "Route to Geofront is now clear by visual inspection."

"Roger." Even in full battle, Misato couldn't help grinning at that. "EVA Unit One, launch!"

The acceleration forced him back into the seat, and Shogoki rocketed to the surface.

- - - - -

_Cthylla fought to right herself as Shogoki stepped clear of the launch platform. The umbilicus that carried power to the armour was now attached, feeding the armour directly. And her Dreamer was one with her at this time, his worry over the Dreamer of Fire, Asuka, casting only a small shadow over his desire to fight._

She took the force bolt on a barrier; she is unharmed, and will be after us in a moment's time.

We should not give her that moment.

_The Lance formed in her hand, and she leaped into motion. The Lance slammed into her barrier, and bounced off harmlessly._

Not good.

_She stepped back, and raised her own barrier, just as Cthylla struck. The creature's claws raked the barrier, weakening it, but failing to penetrate. She increased the Flow, reinforcing the barrier, and reached inward to the Dreamer._

Reverse the polarity, Shogoki. Erode her Barrier, as we did to Byatis.

Cthylla is much more powerful than Byatis. We will be vulnerable.

We have little choice but to risk it.

_The Dreamer was correct; she could not hold the barrier for much longer against the might of Cthylla. She stepped forward, and reversed the Flow in the barrier._

_Cthylla's barrier dissolved, but so did her own; the Old One struck, two claws slamming into her abdomen. One bounced harmlessly off her armour, but the other pierced through, meeting flesh. The Dreamer screamed, as he felt her pain, but did not fall away from the Dream._

_No; instead, he reached deeper._

_Her hands moved under the Dreamer's influence, grasping the tentacle that impaled her. Slowly, she pulled herself along the tentacle, closer to the abomination which now fought to escape her. Closer, until she was almost nose-to-nose with her._

We cannot form the Lance this close; she is cancelling the Flow!

We do not need the Lance.

_The Dreamer was closer than ever before; their minds were as one. They reached up, and tore off their helmet, discarding it. Their hands grasped the Old One, and tore._

We will watch this one's demise with our own eyes.

_A tentacle slammed into a building, spilling the vile thing's fluids across the streets. Another was hurled, to splash into the lake._

She brought on the madness of the Father.

_Their fists slammed into Cthylla's eyes, crushing them and blinding her. Gobs of flesh were pulled from the protean form, and thrown carelessly aside._

She comes to bring death to those we hold dear.

_Their hands jammed into her maw, grasping opposite jaws and pulling until the lower mandible was torn from its roots._

And she has power, that we can take for our own.

_Cthylla's soul flickered, a candle in the raging wind of the Flow, and they grasped it with both hands, and drew it into themselves._

- - - - -

"Target is silent."

"No response from the Pilot at all. Biometrics are returning nothing."

"Plug cam."

A screen flickered to life, to show the darkened plug interior. The white and blue of Shinji's plugsuit.

His empty plugsuit.

Misato gaped. "Where--"

"Unit One is coming about...approaching the primary recovery hatch."

The Commander spoke. "Jettison umbilicus."

Maya flipped a plastic cover, and slammed a fist down on the red button. "Clear jettison. Unit One is now on batteries, five minutes remain."

Misato turned to the Commander. "Sir, the Pilot of--"

"I am aware, Captain."

Misato turned, and watched as Shogoki knelt by the downed Nigoki. Almost reverently, she turned her Brother over, and carefully extracted Asuka's plug. She then picked up the fallen EVA's palette rifle, ejected the spent magazine, and loaded it with a fresh clip.

"What the hell is she--"

"Lance!"

Shogoki's Lance slammed into the hatch, tearing it like tin foil. Another strike opened it completely, and Shogoki stepped through.

"Ma'am..." Hyuuga turned to face Misato. "That entryway leads to the cages. Unit Zero is still in there, and Rei."

She glanced over at Maya. "Time?"

"Three minutes, twenty seconds remain."

Misato turned back to the screen. "Seal all emergency bulkheads between the entryway and the cages."

"What the hell is going on?"

"She's gone berserk." Misato scowled. "And Shinji's...gone, so we can't just knock him out."

"Ma'am. Shogoki has breached the first bulkhead...barely slowed her down." Aoba tapped a control, then froze. "She's not going to the cages."

"What?" Misato whirled, and asked, "Where the hell is she going?"

"Main ventilation shaft...she's--"

The floor shuddered beneath their feet.

"She just dropped sixteen levels; she's right behind--"

The glowing Lance sliced throught the bulkhead, breaching the Command Deck.

Screams filled the deck, enlisted personnell fleeing before the oncoming giant. Maya was cowering under the command console; Aoba was readying a submachine gun. Hyuuga grabbed her arm.

"Ma'am, we can fall back--"

"She won't hurt us."

The Lance struck again, peeling back more of the bulkhead, and Shogoki stepped through the gap. The Lance faded, and she cocked the palette rifle. And brought it up, pointed straight at the Commander.

He stared back at her, hands still folded before him.

Misato stepped between them. She fought to keep her features still, not to betray the terror she felt, staring down the muzzle of a 60mm cannon.

"I won't let you do that."

Shogoki spoke. Her voice, though deep and echoing, was soft, but the words were cold and hard as a blade.

"_The golden-haired Healer, no Dreamer, but of all the Sleepers, I valued her the most._" Her face was difficult to read, being so completely non-human, but the contempt in her voice was obvious. "_He killed her._"

"And what of me?"

Her voice was more uncertain now, and held some of Shinji's patterns. "_I do not want to kill you, Misato. But he's evil, and he needs to be stopped. I can't do it on my own._"

"You will have to kill me to reach him." God, she hoped he wouldn't take her up on that. "Will you let Shogoki kill me?"

"_We are not Shogoki. We are not Shinji. We are One._" She leaned closer. "_Do not allow us to harm you. We would grieve for you._"

"I can't let you kill him."

"_We know you grieve for the Healer as well._"

"Yes. I do." She crossed her arms. "But I swore an oath, that I must uphold."

"_He is no better than the Old Ones himself. He is worse. We will stop him, before he kills all the Sleepers._"

"Then pull the trigger," Misato yelled defiantly. "Go on! If it's that important, then I don't matter, right?"

Her gaze bored into Misato's, the massive forty-meter being, held at bay by a woman not even a twentieth her height. And perhaps, by something more. The massive gun pod drooped, the muzzle coming to rest on the command deck, and the searing light of hatred faded from her eyes.

The EVA buckled under her own weight, collapsing across the command deck, her head coming to rest beside Misato.

Silence reigned across the deck.

Misato gasped, and fought to keep her knees from shaking as the adrenaline slowly faded from her system. She turned to Maya.

"Status?"

Maya pulled herself from under the console, and ran a quick check of her board. "Power exhausted, EVA is silent. No biometrics on the Pilot."

"Notify recovery." She turned back to Ikari. "Operation concluded, Commander."

"So noted." Gendo nodded. "I want to thank you, Captain."

Misato carefully kept her voice neutral. "As I stated to Shogoki, sir, I took an oath."

"Nonetheless. I believe you showed valour today above and beyond the call of duty." He stood up. "A promotion to the rank of Major seems appropriate."

"All due respect, _sir._" She allowed the ice to creep into her voice. "I believe the rank of Captain more suits me."

She turned and stalked off the Command Deck.


	15. Woes Without End

Disclaimer

Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights.

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing._

* * *

He awoke, with his cheek pressed against a cold marble floor. The sounds of music surrounded him, but it was of no comfort. The uneven drumming and high-pitched flutes were dissonant, the music setting him on edge rather than calming him.

He sat up slowly, and looked around.

The massive chamber was filled with monsters. Some were as horrifying as any Old One he had yet faced; others were much, much worse. He felt panic start to rise, sheer and uncontrollable, beyond anything he had yet experienced.

At the very least, they seemed to be ignoring him. He swept his eyes upwards, to get them out of his sight, and gasped.

The ceiling overhead could not be more than fifty meters above him, but captured under its dome somehow was an entire galaxy. Pinpoints of stars shone brilliantly as it slowly rotated. From its very center, a beam of light shone down. Unable to resist, he followed the beam down to where it met the center of the floor.

There, upon a pedestal, was the largest creature he had yet laid eyes upon. A massive, amorphous blob, much like the Shoggoths, but less well defined. Hundreds of eyes peered around it, many of them focusing on him.

**WE HAVE A GUEST.**

It was too much; his mind shut down, and he did not feel the impact when his head smacked into the marble floor.

**- - - - -**

**Tail Kinker Presents**

**Fear**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Woes Without End**

**- - - - -**

Shogoki was firmly bolted to the cage. At sixteen points, the armour was attached to the wall, held in place by locking bolts and electromagnets.

Misato hoped it would be enough.

"We've taken a sample from the LCL in the plug." Maya tapped her computer. "Shinji appears to have dissolved in the LCL; we got some DNA from him."

"Could the battle with the Old One have done this?"

"I suppose. Anything's possible."

"Anything else you've found?"

"Yes." She brought up another display. "We've been monitoring the A20 connection. It's stil active." She indicated a red curve. "We've got a harmonic here, and a pulse line here."

"Meaning?"

"He's still synced."

"Shit." Misato paused to sip her coffee. "So what are our options?"

"Ummm..." Maya bit her lip. "He might be able to re-form his body, if we can figure out how to get in contact with him."

- - - - -

Shinji stirred as a damp cloth was placed across his forehead. "Oh, man..."

"Lie still." The voice was familiar - Rei's? Maybe even his mother? He opened his eyes, then squeezed them shut again.

"Keep your eyes closed. There's no need to open them just yet. Let yourself recover a little more."

"No, I'm fine." He opened his eyes again, to see a familiar face hovering over his. "Mom?"

"You startled me, appearing so suddenly." She smiled gently. "I didn't have a chance to make myself presentable."

"I--what was that thing?" He sat up gingerly. "It looked like a Shoggoth, but not quite."

"The demon Sultan, Azathoth." She looked down. "The central intelligence at the heart of this galaxy."

"Whoa..." He smiled. "And you're on a first name basis with him?"

"By necessity." She glanced up again. "What brings you here?"

"I'm not sure. Shogoki and I just killed an Old One. All the way dead." He looked away. "Then I think we tried to kill Father. I'm kinda fuzzy on that one."

"Ikari Gendo has mistreated you badly," she said. "It is only natural that you and that Child would turn on him."

He blinked. "Child...that's what Cthugha called her." His eyes narrowed. "You're not Ikari Yui."

"No." She shook her head. "I did not claim to be."

"You didn't really go out of your way to prove otherwise, either." His voice was cold. "Who are you?"

"The body you see is that of a servitor of Azathoth, but it is Azathoth's mind in the body." She smiled. "I've been without company for a long time."

"Can you change that body?"

"Yes."

"Now. Do it."

She blinked, and asked, "I drew this from your memory, as a pleasant form, one you would trust. It was not my intention to deceive you."

"I don't care."

"I can see that this is important to you." Her features shifted slightly, becoming more youthful, and her hair paled. "Is this better?"

"Yeah, but can't you--"

"I sense that it is still painful to you." She shifted again, this time to Asuka's form. "How about this?"

"Can't you just...make up a form?"

"No. I can only draw from your memories." She leaned in a bit, Asuka's impish grin appearing. "This form seems to show up a lot in your memories, and a lot of thought patterns are tied up in it. Who is she?"

"A co-worker."

She shook her head. "Don't lie to me. What are you, stupid? Did you forget that I can see your memories?" Her voice was still light and cheerful. "Too often, she is the focus of your memories. Too much of what you think about centers around her."

"If you can read my memories," he said bitterly, "then you already know the answers."

"No." She shook her head again. "I can see what you have seen, hear what you have said and thought. But I do not understand it."

"I helped train her."

"I have seen that."

"She lives with me, Rei and Misato."

"This displeases you. Why?"

He looked down. "Because she's pretty, and smart, and I sometimes feel a bit...attracted to her."

"Attracted?"

"I want to spend more time with her, and I want to...to protect her."

"I can taste some pain when you speak of this." She shifted again, taking on Rei's form. "Is it because of this one?"

"Yes."

"She is also strongly in your memories. More so than this form." And back to Asuka again. "Why should you feel pain at the thought of wishing to help this one?"

"I--" He sighed. "I feel like I'm betraying Rei."

"'Rei' is the label attached to this form." Azathoth shifted again. "The Child of Shub-Niggurath, and one of the Dreamers."

"She and I are engaged, and..." He looked away from the false Rei. "I didn't really want to be engaged to her, at first, but..."

"I do not understand 'engagement', but I do understand that you wish to be closer to this one."

"Yes."

"Why?"

He looked back in surprise. "I don't really know. I feel like, somehow, we are connected."

"You are connected." The image of Rei smiled brightly, almost maniacally. On anyone else, it would have been creepy; on Rei's face, the smile looked downright frightening. "You are connected by blood, just as you are to this one." A shift back to Asuka, where the manic grin looked closer to normal.

"I know. I just found that out."

"She does not know, and you do not wish to tell her."

He shook her head. "She's been hurt a lot. I don't want to hurt her again."

"I have felt her pain." Azathoth's face darkened. "We are all connected, the Great Old Ones. I feel the pain of all my subjects. You and the Child have slain many of them. I did not expect that to be possible."

"I was just doing my job."

"You were protecting your own kind, and if we cannot survive your kind, we do not deserve to survive at all."

He glanced up, puzzled. "You're not angry?"

She shrugged. "Why be angry at the universe for being itself?"

- - - - -

"A20 is still holding steady. I don't think anyone's ever stayed synced with an EVA longer than twenty-four hours."

"He's been in there a week!" Asuka wasn't calming down. "Why does this shit keep happening to him?"

Misato shook her head. "I don't know. He found something out - I don't know what. He didn't have a chance to tell anyone before his last sortie. Whatever he found out, it may have prompted a retreat from reality."

"I don't believe that," snorted Asuka. "He's not the sort to run away."

"Yes, he is," said Rei.

Asuka turned to her fellow Pilot, a look of disbelief on her face. "You're supposed to be his fiancee! How can you say something like that about him?"

"Quite easily, as it is the truth."

"Regardless," interrupted Misato. "The simple fact is that he has the ability to return, but has not done so. Therefore, he likely has a reason not to return. And it likely has to do with the death of Doctor Akagi."

There was a brief silence at this, then Rei said, "Pilot Ikari stated, just before Shogoki went silent, that Commander Ikari killed Doctor Akagi. Is there any reason why the Commander would have done so?"

Misato shook her head. "I can think of no reason why, and many reasons why not."

"Is it possible that Pilot Ikari may have misinterpreted the events surrounding Doctor Akagi's death?"

Asuka blinked. "You mean, maybe the Commander wasn't responsible, but it looked like he was?"

"Or possibly that Doctor Akagi had done something to betray NERV." Rei nodded. "Or that Doctor Akagi had been controlled by an Old One, as Chouko and Shigoki were. I cannot think of any other scenario, but those three are enough to prove that the possibility exists."

- - - - -

The girl had faded. The chamber had faded. Shinji wasn't certain, but he felt that he had faded as well. He continued, somehow, but did that matter? What purpose could his life have, if he was trapped in a meaningless void.

**WHAT PURPOSE DOES LIFE HAVE AT ALL?**

A good question. Thousands of philosophers had wrestled with the question. Some claimed to have found the answer, but there was no way to test it. Countless billions had sought their own answer, and still, it was unknown. Almost every person who had ever drawn breath had asked why.

Except himself. He was certain that the only reason for him to live was so that, eventually, he could die.

Therefore, for him, there was no reason to seek a purpose to life, for there was none.

**OUR OWN PHILOSOPHERS HAVE SOUGHT THE ANSWER AS WELL.**

How odd. The Old Ones had philosophers?

**CERTAINLY BY NOW YOU HAVE REALIZED THAT WE ARE NOT MONSTERS.**

They acted like monsters. They were hideous beyond compare, scary enough to kill by sight alone, and could invade the minds of those around them. They came to kill, to destroy everything in their path, and only he, and his two Pilot companions, had stood against them.

**SHALL WE INQUIRE OF THE DODO IF YOUR SPECIES IS A MONSTER? SHALL WE INQUIRE OF THE PASSENGER PIGEON IF YOUR SKILLS ARE SUPERIOR TO THEIR OWN? SHALL WE INQUIRE OF THE WARTHOG AS TO YOUR APPEARANCE?**

Stop it!

**CONSIDER MY WORDS.**

The dodo. A handy food source, the sailors thought. Too stupid to run away. Driven extinct by predation, as the humans moved into their territory.

The passenger pigeon. Numerous enough to block out the sun, but helpless against something as simple as a shotgun.

The warthog. Not the most attractive species, by his own tastes. No doubt it didn't care for the appearance of humans.

He'd considered. Maybe now the voice would go away?

**NO. I AM NOT YET DONE WITH YOU.**

It didn't matter, really. The Old One couldn't sway his thinking. He couldn't help being who he was.

**NEITHER CAN WE. AND THERE IS NO REASON WHY EITHER OF US SHOULD TRY.**

Then what was the point of all this?

**MY PEOPLE ARE ALL BUT EXTINCT ON YOUR HOME PLANET. WE CAME THERE TO LIVE, BUT AFTER THE WAR WITH THE ELDER THINGS, FEW OF US REMAINED. ONLY THE KNOWLEDGE THAT NOTHING ON THE PLANET COULD HARM US FURTHER KEPT MY CHILDREN THERE.**

But he was harming them, wasn't he?

**SUCH IS LIFE.**

Then what was the point? Why was this thing toying with him? If it was not to bring Shinji around to this alien point of view, then why? Perhaps it was deriving some sort of pleasure from his company? It had stated that it was lonely. Maybe he was to serve as some sort of pet?

**DO NOT FLATTER YOURSELF. IT IS A VERY GREAT STRAIN TO LOWER MY MENTAL PROCESSES ENOUGH THAT COMMUNICATION WITH YOU IS POSSIBLE AT ALL.**

Then perhaps it wanted his help?

**YOUR SPECIES AS A WHOLE HAS INSIGNIFICANT POWER COMPARED TO THE WEAKEST OF MY CHILDREN.**

Then why bother with him at all?

**MY PURPOSE WOULD NOT BE ACCESSIBLE TO YOUR MIND. IF YOU MUST HAVE A REASON, PERHAPS IT WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS SO THAT WE MAY MORE READILY DESTROY YOU.**

So after all, the Old Ones wanted to destroy humanity.

**IT IS NOT A MATTER OF DESIRE. IT IS MERELY A MATTER OF TIME.**

- - - - -

"I think I have a way."

Misato looked up from her cold cup of coffee. "Talk to me, Maya."

Maya opened her notebook computer. "Every three days, we get a strong harmonic frequency on the A20 nerve. Note here." She zoomed in on a part of the chart. "At this point, if he were in the plug, his sync rate would be well over a thousand percent."

"That's impossible," stated Misato.

"I know. Theoretically, for a sync ratio of over five hundred percent, the amount of current passing through the A20 neural interface circuitry would reduce the Pilot to crimson mist and bone chips."

"Even then, we know what happened when Pilot Suzuhara exceeded a sync ratio of four hundred. He just...vanished."

"Just like Shinji."

Misato considered this, then asked, "At any time in the last month has Shogoki's theoretical sync ratio dropped below four hundred?"

"No, Ma'am."

"What would happen if we were to disrupt the A20 neural interface?"

Maya bit her lip. "I'm not sure, but I think that the pilot's link to this world would be severed, and he'd be gone forever."

"So why are you bringing me this?" asked Misato impatiently. "I want a solution, not a bigger problem!"

"I was going to abandon this idea altogether, but..." She tapped a key, and a report appeared on the screen. "I found this squirreled away in one of the MAJI. It appears to have been left there by Doctor Akagi."

"What is it?"

"The harmonics we've been tracking...I was told they were an interference pattern on the sync ratio. That's not quite right. It's more like a loss on sync with the carrier wave."

"Wait." Misato set down her coffee cup. "What carrier wave?"

"In order to sync with the EVA, the Pilot's Theta and Delta waves are linked to a carrier wave. The carrier wave must be modulated to match the Pilot."

"Theta and Delta waves are linked to dreaming."

"Yes!" Maya nodded. "More precisely, Theta waves are normally found only in children, or in drowsy adults. Or those in meditation."

"So how does this help us?"

"Every three days, the carrier wave goes through the roof." Maya closed the notebook. "On such an event, another Dreamer can be sent to contact him."

"Good thinking, Maya." Misato frowned. "But whoever goes after him runs the risk of never coming back."

"We don't know--"

"Exactly," said Misato. "We don't know. We know nothing about where he is, and we have only the foggiest notion of how to get him back."

"But it's our--"

She shook her head. "So far, his pattern is stable. Unless it changes, I don't want to risk losing another Pilot."

- - - - -

The phone rang. Asuka ignored it, merely sat in her chair numbly.

Rei picked it up on the fifth ring. "Misato residence."

She drew in a deep breath. Against her will, Asuka found her gaze drawn to the albino, and saw with shock that her hand, tightly clenched around the receiver, was whiter than normal.

"I understand." She hung up the phone, and turned to Asuka.

"We need to proceed to Headquarters."

- - - - -

There was sunlight in his eyes. He rolled away from it, tried to cover his head with a pillow. But the sounds from the other room were too loud to ignore.

Slowly, he sat up.

He was in an apartment, on a large futon, easily big enough for two. He glanced over, saw another pillow, and a slight indentation from someone's head.

"I have breakfast ready."

He glanced over, to see Rei. A bit older, perhaps, that he remembered, more full of bust and hip. She wore a simple housedress, and while anyone else would see only a flat expression, he could read what was past it.

He smiled. "Thank you, hon." He stretched, feeling his back crack as he did so. "I take it from the racket that Toji is up?"

"And nearly ready for school. I realize that our practise sessions do not require you to rise before this time, but I wonder if it is needful to sleep in so late?"

"Needful, no. But a pleasant change from all the early mornings."

He grabbed a shirt and pair of pants - laid out for him by Rei, he imagined - and started to get dressed.

"I do not intend to complain."

"I know. Do I complain at getting up most mornings with him?"

He glanced over, but she had already returned to the kitchen. Probably to collar their son, who was every bit the hellraiser that his namesake had been.

He walked out, and was tackled by Toji almost immediately.

"Hi, Daddy!" The five-year-old beamed up at him. "Mommy's taking me into school today, and she says you need to eat fast."

"She does, does she?" He laughed. "Well, I better do what she says." He grinned down at his son. Toji had his mother's albinism - the doctors said that it wasn't an inheritable trait, and were quite frankly baffled - but he looked in every other way identical to Shinji at that age. Unlike his mother, though, he had the typical albino sensitivity to bright sunlight, and was thus wearing a long-sleeved shirt and thin gloves, despite the summer heat. Sunglasses and a floppy hat were added just before he and Rei left the apartment.

She paused on the way out, viola case in hand, and looked back at him. "I will meet you at the practise hall. Do not allow Kaoru or Asuka to begin without me."

"Okay." He nodded. "I'll see you there."

**DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS PATH LEADS TO HAPPINESS?**

He wasn't certain. Hell, he didn't really know what happiness was.

**IN THIS PATH, YOU SURVIVE. SURVIVAL IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF ALL LIFE FORMS.**

Mere survival didn't guarantee happiness.

**IN THIS PATH, YOU HAVE OFFSPRING. MOST LIFE FORMS HAVE A DESIRE TO REPRODUCE.**

But that wasn't everything.

**IN THIS PATH, YOU HAVE GOALS TO ATTAIN, AND A CIRCLE OF EQUALS.**

This was something lacking from his own life. Asuka wasn't really a friend. Rei was closer, but there was still a wall between them that he couldn't breach. Toji and Aida were dead. Misato was sort of a friend, but before that, she was his superior officer.

**I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HAPPINESS, EVEN TO THE LIMITED DEGREE THAT YOU CLAIM TO BE ABLE TO DO SO. BUT I HAVE SEEN FROM YOUR PAST THAT SURVIVAL, CREATURE COMFORTS, COMPANIONSHIP, ATTAINING OF GOALS, LEAD TO HAPPINESS.**

But it wasn't everything.

**YOU HAVE ALREADY ADMITTED THAT YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUBJECT IS FLAWED.**

Dammit, Misato had all that, and she still wasn't really happy!

**DOES SHE?**

---

_"We know you grieve for the Healer as well."_

---

_"It is horrible, and I feel very badly about it," Misato continued. "But I had to have it done. I gave the order myself."_

---

_"Okay. The booze is gone, the conference is over."_

---

_"Misato was the only survivor of that expedition!"_

---

Misato smiled at him. "Do you still believe that I have all the elements required to be happy?"

"Azathoth again?"

She nodded. "I've looked into your memories. She has lost friends, she has self-doubt, she uses chemicals to influence her mental state."

"I thought you didn't understand happiness."

"All that I know, I have gained from your mind. This state that you call happiness...I have not seen anyone in your memories that exists in this state." She shifted, becoming a mirror of Maya. "Not this one, who lives in the shadows of her friends, gaining no recognition for her work." She shifted again. "Not this one, whose name you could not even be bothered learning." And again, to his father. "And certainly not this one, whose motives you cannot understand."

"So you're saying that no-one I know is happy?"

"No." The image of his father shook his head. "You are saying that, not I."

- - - - -

"Forget it." Misato shook her head. "DNA sample or not, cloning his body won't guarantee that his mind will come back."

"How about reversing the sync carrier?" Aoba shrugged. "Maybe we can draw him back."

"We discarded that idea two weeks ago, remember?" Maya sighed. "We're going in circles."

"No, we discarded the idea of interfering with the sync carrier. What about reversing it outright?"

"The levels of harmonic interference would be so high, we might as well just be turning it right off."

The door slid open, and Misato turned in shock. "I thought I locked--"

Rei and Asuka stood in the doorway. Asuka stalked forward, and scowled at Misato.

"I heard that you'd found a way to bring him back."

"No. We're still discussing means--"

"I heard that one of us can go get him."

"Who the hell leaked that?" Misato shook her head. "That's a last resort. We could risk losing another Pilot."

"I'm willing to take the risk."

"As am I," added Rei.

"No. It's not an option." Misato scowled, and crossed her arms. "How did you even find out about that? Who told you?"

"I received a telephone call," said Rei. "From Doctor Akagi."


	16. Terror And Pain

_Disclaimer_

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing. Cyäegha was created by Eddy C. Burtin._

* * *

Azathoth spoke of loneliness.

**IT IS NOT LONELINESS AS YOU KNOW OF IT. WE ARE LONELY FOR THE SOLE REASON THAT WE ARE WITHOUT PEERS.**

Odd. He'd thought himself a world expert on loneliness, but he was still an amateur. The pain he'd felt, the emotions he'd battled, or just surrendered to, seemed pale and weak next to those of Azathoth. Sometimes, it was illuminating to discover just how insignificant you really were.

**IMAGINE HOW THAT FEELING MUST BE TO ONE SUCH AS I.**

He'd faced off with Cthugha, and had felt helpless before a creature of such stupendous power. But Azathoth was far more powerful than Cthugha. He still didn't really understand what was keeping him alive. Why didn't Azathoth snuff him out, the way he himself had snuffed out many an Old One?

**I HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO.**

**- - - - -**

**Tail Kinker Presents**

**Fear**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Terror And Pain**

**- - - - -**

Misato stared at Rei in disbelief.

"Doctor Akagi has been dead for at least a month. This is not theory; I have seen her body. I've examined the wound. She is quite dead, and therefore would have some difficulty making a telephone call."

"Nonetheless, I received a telephone call from a woman calling herself Doctor Akagi, whose voice matched the one I knew, and who had certain facts about myself that only Doctor Akagi could have known." Rei stood her ground. "And she told me that you have a procedure available to recover Pilot Ikari."

"Unless Ritsuko grew a spare heart while no-one was looking, that message could not be from her!"

"This is largely regardless of our purpose in being here. You have a means to recover Pilot Ikari."

"I believe we covered that, Rei." Misato crossed her arms. "We cannot risk losing another Pilot."

Asuka spoke up again. "I think it's our decision if we want to risk it."

"Wrong." Misato shook her head. "Legally, Asuka, I am currently your guardian. Plus, I am in direct line of command above both of you."

"You are not my legal guardian," observed Rei quietly.

"I'm still your superior officer!"

"Commander Ikari outranks you." Rei turned. "I shall inform him that you are interfering with the rescue operation."

"Wait!"

Rei turned back. "Yes, Captain Katsuragi?"

She was obviously fuming. "You're quite willing to blackmail me to get your way, aren't you?"

"Yes." Rei nodded. "I feel a strong attachment to Pilot Ikari."

Misato chuckled. "After this, he'd better not claim that you still hate him." She turned to Maya. "Prepare Zerogoki to intercept that carrier wave."

"No." Gendo Ikari walked into the room. Everyone snapped to attention, save Misato.

"All due respect, sir." Her voice held very little respect. "The safety of the Pilots is my first and only concern."

"I do not object to the mission." Gendo sat down at the table, and Fuyutsuki took up position at his right side. "Rei will not undertake this mission. Pilot Sohryu will be sent instead."

Rei's face froze. Misato had lived with the girl long enough by now to recognize her iron control over her emotions. But she directed her arguments to the head of NERV.

"Sir, I believe that Zerogoki is the best unit to be sent on this mission. Nigoki has a greater combat capability, due to being a full production unit instead of a prototype. Asuka's sync rate has improved to within a few points of Rei's, and the greater capability of Nigoki more than offsets the difference between the two."

"You are not privy to all the information, Captain. Ready Evangelion Unit Two and Pilot Sohryu for the rescue operation. Pilot Ayanami will remain on standby during the operation, in the event that an Old One attacks while we are vulnerable."

She scowled, but she had her orders. "Zerogoki will be brought to one hundred percent charge before the rescue operation begins. Pilot Ayanami, I want you in your plug suit and seated in the plug from the start of the operation until its completion." She glanced over at Maya. "What sort of time frame are we looking at?"

"The peaks last for thirty minutes at most."

"So if neither returns within thirty minutes, neither can for three days?"

"That is correct."

She turned back to Asuka. "Pilot Sohryu. You will have thirty minutes to make pickup, and if you fail in that time, you will be trapped for at least three days. Do you understand?"

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka jerked a thumb over at Maya. "I was standing right here when she told you!"

"Do. You. Understand?"

She swallowed. "Yes, ma'am."

Misato turned to Rei. "With any luck, you will be out of Zerogoki after thirty minutes. But you may be in there as long as three days. Can you handle that?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Maya?"

"We have six hours to prepare."

"We'll need them. Let's move like we have a purpose, people!"

- - - - -

**AT LONG LAST, YOUR FRIENDS COME TO RESCUE YOU.**

Asuka and Rei? It would have to be them. No-one else could come.

**IT IS ONE OF THOSE ONLY. AND HER CHOICE OF TACTICS IS UNWISE.**

- - - - -

"Pilot Sohryu."

Asuka turned as Rei approached, and gave the albino girl a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, Rei. I'll bring him back for you."

She nodded. "I thank you."

She stepped a little closer, and spoke quietly. "I know you want to go after him yourself. For the same reason that I do. And personally, I think you'd be the better choice for this mission."

"I have a higher sync ratio." Rei nodded. "For this mission, that would be an advantage."

"More importantly," said Asuka, "he'd want to come back with you."

She sealed her plugsuit, hit the compression tab. And glanced back up at Rei.

"See you in half an hour."

Rei nodded. "Good luck."

- - - - -

There was a blinding flash of light overhead, and he found himself back in the court. The mad beings around him scuttled away, moving as far from him as they could. Did they fear him?

**NO.**

Above, the winged form of an Evangelion, without armour, burst into being, and slammed into the ground. It spread its wings, and raised a Lance on high, pointing it at Azathoth.

**DO NOT THINK THAT THE CHILD CAN BRING YOU FROM THIS PLACE. I BROUGHT YOU HERE, AND WITHOUT MY WILL, YOU CANNOT ESCAPE.**

He didn't care. He ran to the Evangelion.

**I WILL DESTROY THAT ONE BEFORE I LET YOU--**

Azathoth paused, as though in disbelief, as a second Evangelion materialized on the far side of the court. It too was unarmoured, but the Lance in its hands, split like a crowbill, advertised its identity as clearly as its red armour would normally have done.

**NO!**

"Shinji!" Asuka's voice rang from Nigoki's mouth. "Get to Shogoki!"

He hadn't stopped running.

Nigoki strode forward, swinging the Lance and slamming it into Azathoth. The weapon passed straight through the creature, leaving no apparent damage. Less than a second later, the Lance dissolved.

"I can't hold this thing for very long, Shinji!"

He was already running as fast as he could. What more could he do?

Azathoth lashed out with a blast of the Flow, sending Nigoki flying across the court.

"Shinji!"

He needed Shogoki; he needed to reach her, to be safe, to escape. In desperation, he called out to her.

And she responded, taking a slow step towards him. He concentrated, as best he could while fleeing for his life, and she broke into a shambling run. She reached down, and grasped him in her hand.

And once again, they were One.

**IT SHALL NOT BE ALLOWED!**

"You have no say in this." It was not his voice, and it was not hers. It was Theirs. They raised a hand, and the Flow streamed along Their body, to leap across and sear Azathoth. Nigoki broke away from the battle, spread his wings and leaped into the sky.

Joyfully, They followed, back to the land of the living.

But Azathoth was not to be denied. He followed them, a boiling mass of hatred, rage and insanity.

_We cannot lead him back to our realm, My Dreamer. We must lose him._

_But how?_

_Confuse the Path._

It took but a touch of the Flow, and Azathoth veered off on a random tangent. But even so thwarted, he was not yet done with them.

**FOOL. NONE MAY LEAVE THIS REALM WITHOUT MY CONSENT. YOU SHALL PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR AFFRONTERY. A NIGHTMARE LIVES IN THE RED-HAIRED DREAMER; IT SHALL COME TO THE FRONT. THE CHILD SHE LIVES WITHIN SHALL BECOME YOUR EXECUTIONER.**

- - - - -

"Biometrics on EVA-01's pilots have returned!"

"He's back." Maya turned from her monitor. "He's just reformed in the plug. Like magic!"

"I've got a bad harmonic on EVA-02, Captain." Aoba was chewing his lower lip. "Something grimy is happening in that plug."

The monitor switched to the plug cam on EVA-02. Asuka was writhing in the plug, screaming in agony.

_"Das Biest des Dunklen Hügels! Das große grüne Auge! Sein Zorn soll die Welt schütteln!"_

Nigoki tore itself free from its moorings.

"Misato!" Shinji's voice was panicked. "You need to get Nigoki out of the cages! Launch him now!"

Misato turned to Hyuuga. "Launch tube status?"

He mashed buttons, then turned back. "Route to Geofront clear by visual inspection."

"EVA-02, launch!"

The catapults arced, and Nigoki was fired up the tube to the surface. Misato turned back to Shinji. "Can you stop her?"

"I think so." His expression was grim. "Shogoki and I are ready to try, at least."

"Activate A20 induction."

"It is not needed." Shinji's voice was calm. "Shogoki and I are one."

"Route to Geofront confirmed clear by visual inspection. EVA-02 is still out of sync."

"Captain!" Maya turned in horror. "I'm getting a high-energy reading from EVA-02."

"What sort?"

"It appears to be the same sort that we witnessed just before EVA-04 went rogue."

Silence reigned on the command deck for a long moment. Then Aoba broke it.

"I've got signs of mental contamination along EVA-02's command pathways. Looks bad, Captain."

"Eject the plug."

"Plug is away. Umbilicus ejected, and EVA-02 is on internal--Oh, hell."

"What?"

"Just like EVA-04. Internal power is not dropping."

Misato ground her teeth. "Redesignate EVA-02 as an Old One. Begin startup sequence on Unit Zero. Inform Pilot Ayanami to stand by for immediate launch."

"Aye, ma'am."

"Status of Pilot Sohryu?"

"I've got biofeedback, but..." Maya shook her head. "Ma'am her EEG is flatline. EVA Unit Two is still--wait." She leaned forward. "EVA Unit Two is stable, but the mental patterns are fully active, as though it was still plugged."

She turned and looked at the monitor. And she knew what had to be done.

"EVA-01, launch!"

- - - - -

_It was no longer Their Brother. He was gone, his Dreamer was gone, and only the Old One remained._

_Even as They strode towards it, it was changing. The armour cracked and fell away. The head and wings withered, and the chest split open to reveal a massive eye._

Cyäegha. The Beast of Dunkelhügel.

We will stop him.

_Already, Cyäegha had raised a Barrier. They stepped into it, and eroded it. They swung a massive fist, catching the Beast directly in the eye._

_It howled, but the pain would be minor; the Beast could not be harmed by regular matter. They stepped back, and formed the Lance._

Do not hesistate, my Sleeper. The red-haired one is gone from this body.

But our Brother may yet remain. If there is any way to save him--

There is not. And he would not wish us to try.

_They swung the Lance, bringing it down on the Old One's shoulders._

_And it dissolved, returning to the Flow. In shock, they staggered back, then were blasted back into the far side of the dome._

- - - - -

"Power readings are right the hell off the scale." Maya was fiddling with the controls. "I can't dial back the gates far enough to even get a guess."

Misato stared at the crumpled body of EVA-01. "Status of Unit One?"

"Systems are still online. Positive EEG from the Pilot. But they're not getting up."

"I can see that!" Misato bit her lip. "Sorry, Hyuuga." She turned to Maya again. "Full rocket barrage. Try to buy her some time."

"That will be completely ineffective."

Misato turned, and scowled as Gendo entered the command deck. "I am aware of that, sir. But I'm hoping at least to delay the Old One."

"It will not even accomplish that." He sat down behind his desk, hands steepled in front of him. "Status of Zerogoki?"

Misato blinked; it was the first time he'd used the Evangelion's name as a name, instead of merely designation. "Fully charged, and currently starting A20 Nerve Induction."

"Patch me through to the Pilot."

"Yes, sir."

"Rei."

"Yes."

"Proceed to Terminal Dogma, and bring the Elder Sign."

"Yes."

Misato scowled. "Elder Sign? What the hell--"

Gendo glared at her. "You do not need to know, Captain."

- - - - -

The massive doors swung open slowly, the huge cams rotating and drawing them back. Rei waited until they had opened enough to admit Zerogoki, then strode forward.

Beyond was the writhing beast of her nightmares.

Shub-Niggurath. Father of the Evangelions, and most powerful of the terrestrial Old Ones. Of all the Elder Gods, only two were more powerful, and they were bound far from Earth.

Shub-Niggurath was bound here, below the Geofront. She had suspected it, for he appeared in her dreams. The five posts around him formed his bonds. And she had been instructed to remove one of them.

She lifted it from the ground, and Shub-Niggurath raged. She could feel his hatred pressing against her mind.

_**ALL OF YOU WILL BE DESTROYED**_

"There was no doubt in my mind," said Rei. "But even with only four posts, you cannot yet escape."

_**YOU HASTEN THE TIME OF MY RENEWAL**_

"Time is running out for all of us." She stepped back, the physical Elder Sign cradled in her hands. "I have seen it in my dreams. I know the future. I know what will become of us."

_**AND YET STILL YOU STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE**_

"That is all we can do." She turned away, and walked away from the squalling nightmare.

She knew that her death lay behind her. But she felt certain that her salvation lay ahead.

- - - - -

"Unit Zero has reached the Geofront."

"The Old One is approaching command level. Unit One is active again."

"I'm reading a high-level energy event!"

"Brace for impact!" Misato grabbed the rail and clung to it for dear life as a massive tremor wracked the command deck.

"The Old One is still moving! It's approaching--Shit. The bulkheads that we put up after Shogoki busted in here. The Old One is peeling them off."

"Those bulkheads are too strong for even an Evangelion to damage!"

"Captain, it's not using brute strength. It's just...walking through them. They're melting like rice paper."

"Status of Unit Zero?"

"Approaching this level. The Old One is right outside!"

Another tremor rocked the command deck, and the Old One smashed its way into the chamber. Screams echoed around Misato, as the technicians broke and ran.

She could not blame them. Not everyone had her advantage. She stood her ground, even took a step forward, staring at the massive orb in the chest of the former Unit Two.

The Old One raised a hand, reaching for her.

And was intercepted by a blue armoured fist.

Zerogoki grabbed the Old One, and she could hear the crunch as the Beast's arms were crushed in his grip. He picked it up, and tossed him back through the opening. He turned back, his one eye focussing on Misato. With Rei's voice, he asked, "Are you injured, Captain?"

"No. Thanks, you two."

Zerogoki turned away, and stalked towards the Old One. In his other hand, he held a copper disc, five meters in diameter, and inscribed with a pentagram. He threw it, like a discus, and it connected with the Old One.

It screamed. Bluish light played around it where the disc touched it, and Zerogoki ran forward, grasping it and dragging it from the command deck.

- - - - -

_She shook off the stun. Her Brother and his Dreamer were engaged in battle, and her own Dreamer, Shinji, was still dizzied by the massive blast of energy they had absorbed. But he remained within the Dream, if apart from her. They had fought in this manner before, and could do so again._

_But she felt a touch of loneliness._

_Slowly, she stood, and marched towards Cyäegha. His form continued to mutate, resembling her Brother Nigoki less and less by the minute. He was weakened by the Elder Sign, but would continue to fight._

Will it not slay him outright?

I have no knowledge of the Elder Sign, Dreamer Shinji. We should take gratitude that it is harming him at all.

_She summoned the Lance, and strode forward._

I can see this one's past. Trapped beneath the dark hill, in Germany, and worshipped by mad cultists. Including the father of the fire-haired Dreamer.

Then he was channeled through Asuka?

_She raised an arm, and brought the Flow to her hand, creating a torrent of energies that blasted outward and tore into Cyäegha's body._

Yes. Azathoth's parting gift to her.

_The energies seared Cyäegha, burning off arms, legs and wings. She raised the Lance over the incapacitated Old One, and hesitated._

We cannot save her, my Dreamer. And she is no longer within this body.

_He seized control, and brought the Lance down, slicing through the monstrosity._

- - - - -

The medtechs were running, the gurney practically bouncing between them. They wheeled it into the sickbay, and hastily transferred the patient to a hospital bed.

"Get her wired up," barked Misato. "EEG first, then worry about the rest if we need to."

"She needs to be intubated," yelled a doctor. "If we don't do that, she could die."

"If her EEG is flat," said Misato, "we will have to kill her anyway."

The doctor stared at her in disbelief, then turned to his aides. "EEG, stat. Hurry, and we might still be able to save this kid. Eric, start intubation just as soon as the electrodes are in place."

"Doctor--"

The doctor turned to face Misato. "Your job is to direct battles. Mine is to save lives. I keep my ass off your command deck."

Misato bit her lip, and stepped back.

"We have EEG activity. Delta and Theta."

"Oh, thank God," sighed Misato.

"Yeah." The doctor turned back to the interns. "Intubate. IV. Then get a thermal wrap on her."

- - - - -

Shinji stared through the windows as the doctors feverishly worked on Asuka's comatose body.

"She came to rescue me." He shuddered. "She risked everything, lost everything, because she came to rescue me."

"Either of us would have done so," said Rei. "Your father elected to send her instead of me."

"Why?"

"He would not say. I can only assume that Zerogoki--"

"No." He shook his head. "Why would she save me?"

Rei hesitated, before answering. "Both of us were willing to do so. Your life and well-being have value to me." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "I can only assume that you had value to her as well."

- - - - -

"It's been almost a week." Misato sighed, and swirled the ice in her glass. "She's breathing on her own. But if it weren't for the EEG, I'd swear she was a vegetable."

"Her mind snapped," said Shinji. "She faced off with her own personal nightmare, and she couldn't handle it."

"Thank you for your professional opinion, Doctor Ikari." Misato drained her highball.

"You are not correct," said Rei. "Her mind is completely gone."

Misato frowned. "You mean the EEG--"

"EEG does not detect thoughts. It only detects brain activity."

"Isn't that the same thing?" asked Shinji.

Rei shook her head. "You should know that her thoughts may not be her own."

"Nigoki."


	17. Where They Extend

Disclaimer

Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights.

Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing.

* * *

"I know you're hiding in there."

Shinji stared down at the comatose body. Asuka still wore her plugsuit and A20 clips, looking as though she would rise to fight again at a moment's notice. The plugsuit contained rudimentary life-support systems, the A20 clips provided sensory for the EEG.

Just another illusion.

"Rei can sense you in there. She can hear your thoughts."

He forced himself not to think of the being in front of him as Asuka. It wasn't. He just prayed that Rei was right about who it was.

"Nigoki. Talk to me!

Her eyes opened.

"So determined this one was. Determined to die. I have preserved her mind. But her body weakens."

"Why are you doing this?" Shinji shook his head. "You know how badly it hurt her when you did it last time. How has she earned your punishment now?" His voice was rising. "Is it because she lived, and you died?"

"You should know us better than that now." Nigoki shook her head. "Even should I choose to do so, it is unlikely I could act on that choice."

"Then why?"

"When the Old One seized control of my body, I knew that I was dead." Her eyes bored into his. "There is a certain...liberation that comes with acknowledging your own death. I made a choice then, that my Dreamer would not die with me.

"The choice at first seemed in vain; Cyäegha was carried in the Dreamer's very soul. But I saved her mind, pushed it into the Dreamlands, where it is now safe."

"So you saved her."

"Yes." She nodded. "Between my life and hers, I chose hers."

**- - - - -**

**Tail Kinker Presents**

**Fear**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Where They Extend**

**- - - - -**

The telephone rang.

It almost seemed to be too much trouble for her to answer it. Between losing Ritsuko, losing Asuka, and coming far too close for comfort to losing Shinji, she didn't have an awful lot of reason to bother with anything.

On the other hand, she was running out of things to lose. After the fifth ring, she picked it up.

"Katsuragi."

"Are you alone in the house, Misato?"

She sat bolt upright. "Ritsuko!"

"Yes, it is I. Are you alone in the house?"

"Rei's in the next room, but there's no telephone there."

"Rei is safe. Of all the people we deal with, only the Dreamers are safe."

"Ritsuko, where are you? I can come and get you and keep you safe. Just tell me where you are."

There was a pause, and then Ritsuko said, "I am quite safe where I am. Nothing short of an N2 mine can touch me, and even then, I might survive."

"Where are you?"

"I am quite safe where I am. I need to tell you what you need to do next. This is very important, and you cannot tell anyone else. Except maybe Shinji. Of all the people we deal with, only the Dreamers are safe."

"Okay." Misato forced herself to calm down. "What do I need to do?"

"Kaji sent me a data card. It is hidden in my office, underneath my most commonly used piece of equipment. When I received it, I checked it out, and found that most of it was pornography. But there was a hidden, encrypted segment."

"What was on that segment?"

Another pause, then she said, "I haven't broken the encryption at the time I recorded this, so if I do not know what was in there, the odds are good that I was killed before I could update the personality file."

"Personality--You're a program."

"An excellent AI, used to preserve a person's knowledge and personality. Unfortunately, it's not much more than a toy. But I've used it as a sort of insurance policy." Her flat delivery and odd pauses were more easily explained now. "At this time, there is no ongoing alert, no crisis involving the Dreamers, and I have not updated the file in at least seven days. Under such conditions, the AI is programmed to act as I see fit."

"What's on the chip, Ritsuko?"

"When I received it, I checked it out, and found that most of it was pornography. But there was a hidden, encrypted segment. I haven't broken the encryption at the time I recorded this, so if I do not know what was in there, the odds are good that I was killed before I could update the personality file."

Misato bit her lip; she would have to ask the right questions to get the responses she needed. "Why is Shinji safe?"

"Shinji asked me for details on the Deep Ones. He put me on the right track. Kaji sent me some of the information I already had. When I unlock the chip, I'm going to tell Shinji what is on it."

_She might have already done so,_ thought Misato wildly. "Ritsuko--"

"Yes, Misato?"

"I miss you."

"I miss you too. My best friend." There was a pause, then she continued. "I kind of miss me, too."

- - - - -

"So, Asuka's essentially dead, right?" Shinji indicated the redheaded body in front of him. "You've commandeered her body, since she can't use it any more?"

"I cannot use it effectively, either." Nigoki shook her head. "I still lack the drive to do so. What is it that you humans have, this ability to choose to act? It is denied to my Brothers and Sisters."

"So how is it you could take over her before?"

"I merely acted on her own desires. To understand the people around her better, to demonstrate her superiority, and to act on her attraction to yourself and the Dreamer of Ice."

"Then how can you choose to speak to me now?"

"I did not choose, Dreamer. You made that choice."

Nigoki had terrified him in the past; now, he began to pity him. "So even with a body, with a functioning mind..."

"I am still not truly alive." Her voice took on a wistful tone. "With the Dreamer alive in me, I was a god of battle, an Angel of death, praying for war. She gave me what I lacked, and made me complete. Without her...even with this body, I am an empty shell."

"You almost sound like you loved her."

"More than life itself." She looked up at him. "You know what you and the Dreamer of Water must do. This body must end."

"Yeah." He choked back the tears. "I know."

"Dreamer. When the moment comes...I would have it be by your hand. And so would she."

- - - - -

"The destruction of Cthylla was a mistake."

Gendo scowled. "It was also unavoidable. As long as the Master remains unharmed, Cthylla will reform."

"But what of her soul?" Like the other eleven, the man wore a long cowl to conceal his face, even over the videoconference. "If it is lost, she may not be able to return to Earth."

"Her soul is safe within the Evangelion Unit One." Gendo smiled. "I shall dispatch that unit to do battle with the Master. They will reunite, and the Master shall have the strength of both until the time is right for her to be reborn."

"You have proven far too efficient at destroying the Old Ones," commented another. "You have destroyed both the allies and the enemies of the Master."

"I cannot attack some Old Ones, and let others pass unharmed."

"We understand that, but you had the opportunity to sacrifice an Evangelion, without harming the Old One. A plausible loss. You passed up that opportunity."

"Had I done so, even this council could have kept my position at NERV. I might not even have survived the day."

"You are the thirteenth member of the Order," said a third cowled figure. "As such, you must recognize that you are the most...expendable."

"That was true when I was assigned to NERV," argued Gendo. "But not now. Now, you need me."

"Not so much that you cannot be replaced should you test our limits. Remember, that, Ikari."

"I shall remember."

"The stars are nearly right. Great R'lyeh has risen from its watery grave, and the Master shall again walk the face of the Earth.

_"Cthulhu fhtagn!"_

- - - - -

No-one had looked into tidying Ritsuko's office in the five weeks that she had been dead. Moldy coffee cups, incomplete forms, and small computerized gadgets sat in a cluster around the huge ashtray that dominated the desk.

She didn't want to touch anything. Not until she was certain. The problem was that Ritsuko hadn't ever been seen to use the same gadget more than once a day.

_Hell, she never even finished a cup of coffee!_ Misato glared at the messy desk. _First thing she did in the morning was to dump her half-finished coffees and her ashtray--_

Her train of thought abruptly derailed, and she stared at the ashtray. She poked through it carefully, to ensure that it contained nothing but charred tobacco and cigarette butts. Hands shaking, she picked it up, and looked underneath.

Nothing.

She cursed her stupidity, then turned and dumped the ashtray into the garbage. As she flipped it over, her eye was caught by the large label on the underside, loudly proclaiming that the ashtray was Made In China.

A very large sticker. Much larger than a data card. She peeled it off.

Underneath was a hollow, a natural artifact of the forming process. And within the hollow was the data card.

- - - - -

"It's an obsolete format, replaced by our new high-density disks." Maya examined the card carefully. "Sixty-four megs maximum capacity. The overall storage density is lower, but they were a lot smaller. How much porn could he have on it?"

"Ignore the porn. I want you to find that encrypted sector."

Maya bit her lip. "Captain, I'm not really sure that this is a good idea."

"You're worried that they'll kill you? Like Ritsuko?"

"No." Maya's lips twitched. "If Doctor Akagi thought it was important, then I'm with you. The problem is that encrypted data often self-destructs if it's not read properly. I don't wanna be the one to screw it up."

"I have faith in you, Maya. Besides," added Misato, "if I try to access it, I certainly will screw it up."

"Okay. This card uses a destructive-read method. Part of the reason they were phased out. Once you read something from the card, you have to write it back if you want it to stay there."

"Why would they design something like that?"

"It's a limitation of the technology of the time. The only way they could get decent data storage density. Problem is that the standard reader/writer interface for the card uses a checksum algorithm, to ensure that data is stored properly. Encrypted data would fail the checksum, and wouldn't be written. So I get one shot."

"How would the data get on the card in the first place?"

Maya shrugged. "You could modify the interface to skip the checksum, but then you run the risk of data corruption. And with this card, the risk was significant. One in about a hundred thousand."

"That's significant?"

"When you're discussing millions of bits of data, yes."

"Ritsuko read what was on the card, and then put it back on. What would you need to accomplish the same?"

"A hardware and a software hack. But that could take days to lash up, especially on my own."

Misato handed her Ritsuko's laptop. "What are the odds that Ritsuko could do it?"

Maya stared at the laptop in surprise, then took it. "A lot better than the odds that I could." She considered the laptop carefully. "You've heard that data stored on a computer is never truly lost, right?"

"Yeah. Unless someone uses a scrubbing program."

"Not even then. Ritsuko broke into a high-security zone. She must have programmed a keycard to do so. She probably used this laptop to do it, since she could hardly use the MAGI."

"So the data might still be in there?"

"Yes." Maya set the data card on her desk, and picked up a disk. "First thing I'm gonna do is see if I can't persuade this thing to give up its secrets."

- - - - -

"You risk antagonizing them," stated Fuyutsuki. "I merely wish to suggest that you be a bit more conciliatory with them."

"Are you siding with them, Kouzou?"

"No!" The older man shook his head. "You know I oppose their plans. If they had any idea of what you intended--"

"Then neither of us would be here." Gendo looked up from his desk. "They want to bring back the greatest of the Old Ones. They don't realize the threat to humanity that Cthulhu represents."

"But they do. And they hunger for it."

"No!" Gendo stood, began pacing behind his desk. "They see themselves as favoured by Cthulhu, that he will allow them to rule over the remains of Humanity. What they don't see is that he will destroy them as well! He destroys everything!"

"Gendo--"

"If it were not for Cthulhu, my wife would still be with us." Gendo clenched his fist. "She would have been fully human, not some half-breed freak. She wouldn't have turned her back on me."

"If I recall correctly, you turned on her when she started to change."

"She wasn't Yui anymore!"

Silence ruled the office for long moment, then Gendo continued.

"She was taken from me. What remained in her place was a Deep One, spawn of Cthulhu. The same blood taints my son. Eventually, he will turn as well."

"You--"

"Once, he was the second greatest joy in my life." Gendo shook his head. "The single point of pride in the wreckage of my life. But he will be taken from me. Because of who he is." He looked up. "I have caused him great pain, but it will spare him greater pain later."

"He may not turn. He is only one-quarter Deep One."

"Even ten generations later, they always turn." Gendo shook his head. "The scrolls told me that, even before I had the complete Book. The Innsmouth Report confirmed it. Genetic testing in Imboca and Okinawa added further evidence. He will go into the sea."

"But he is your son!" Kouzou shook his head. "Doesn't he mean anything to you?"

"He will not be my son for much longer," roared Gendo. "He will become an abomination. He will forget his surface life. He will be as lost to me as Yui!"

"And what of Rei?" asked Kouzou quietly.

"She is a tool. Nothing more."

"Don't lie to me, Gendo." Kouzou stared at him coldly. "You've had a hand in her raising, since she was first created. She looks so much like Yui--"

"I needed the taint. Only the spawn of the Old Ones can merge with the Young."

"Then why did you select the genetic markers to make her look like Yui?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you."

"Yes, you do!" Kouzou leaned on the desk. "Do you think you were the only one who loved her? The only one who felt pain at her loss?"

Gendo shook his head. "No. That is why you are at my side. And so is Shinji."

"Do not antagonize the DAGON council, Gendo! If they knew our plans, they would kill us instantly."

- - - - -

"Misato!"

Shinji ran down the companionway, glancing into each compartment as he passed. She had not been in any of her usual haunts - not the galley, nor her office, nor even at her post on the command deck.

_Most likely lost again._

He stopped, and took a step back, and stared at a hatch.

_Ritsuko's office...?_

He thumbed the hatch release, and it slid back into its pocket. Within, Misato was sitting at Ritsuko's desk, a laptop computer in front of her. He head lay across the keyboard, her eyes streaked with tears, and most disturbingly, her pistol was clenched in her hand.

"Misato?"

She sat up slowly, and blinked at him. "Shinji. Why are you here?"

"I was looking for you. Nigoki--"

She shook her head. "Doesn't matter."

"Why?"

She waved her hand at the computer. "Kaji's final message to me. They used my eggs."

He blinked at the apparent non-sequitur. "What are you--"

"I don't remember what it was that knocked me out. Father told me, just before he put me in the escape pod, that he'd had to perform emergency surgery to close me up." She shuddered. "I always carried that image in my head...him giving his life, struggling to save mine."

"He--"

"He _lied _to me!" She stood up suddenly, and holstered her pistol. "I'm gonna find out what the hell Kaji was talking about." She pulled a card from the computer - a standard NERV security card, it looked like - and stalked from the office.

Shinji fell in beside her. "But if he saved you--"

"A lie." Her voice was ugly. "They smuggled something out of Antarctica, a piece of an Old One! Sewn up inside my guts. When they rescued me, they performed another operation. An emergency hysterectomy, they said, because I'd gone septic. They scooped out my ovaries, my uterus, pretty much everything above the cervix. And they used the eggs to make some kind of artificial life form." She shuddered again. "He spent his last minutes planting some _monster _in me."

A sudden chill washed over Shinji. "Where are we going?"

"Terminal Dogma."

"No!" He stepped around her, blocking her path. "Misato, trust me, you don't want to go there."

"Out of my way."

"Listen to me!" He grabbed her arm. "I can tell you what's in there. You don't have to go. Ritsuko died because she saw what was in there. Father would have killed _me_, if he didn't need me to pilot!"

"I have to see." Misato's eyes were welling with tears. "They took away my chance to be a mother. Something I wanted, ever since I was old enough to understand. They turned my egg cells into--" She shook her head. "Probably the EVAs. I have to see it for myself."

"It wasn't the EVAs." He sighed, and stepped aside. "I'm coming with you. If Father finds out you're down there, maybe I can save you."

"I don't care." Her voice was bleak. "What he's taken from me--"

"I care." He fell in beside her again. "We need you, Misato. Rei and I both need you. Remember that, please."

- - - - -

"Contact." Maya leaned in, staring at her screen. "Extreme range, seven hundred kilometers. Closing very fast."

"Great." Hyuuga thumbed his communications stud. "Captain Katsuragi to the command deck. Pilots to their ready room." He released the stud. "How long do we have?"

"Three hours."

The hatch slid open, and Gendo's voice filled the compartment. "It is Cthulhu. The time is now right."

"Sir!" Hyuuga glanced over at him. "I've paged the Captain to the command deck, and the Pilots to their ready room. Should I order the conventional troops to stand by?"

"No." He sat down behind his desk, hands steepled in front of him. "There is no way for them to destroy Cthulhu. This is the battle that the EVAs were created for."

- - - - -

"He comes!" Keel threw back his cowl, an unholy glee in his eyes. "Finally, he comes, and will be welcomed by his servants!"

- - - - -

"Misato, we've been ordered to report in."

"Not yet." She ran the security card through the terminal, and the doors slowly started to open. "Not until I've seen Terminal Dogma."

"If we go to fight, it will still be here when we get back."

"Shut up." She stepped through the doors, and paused. "What the hell...?"

He followed her through the doors. "This is the nursery. This is where...the artificial life form was kept."

"Only one? I had hundreds of egg cells!" She glanced around, and spotted the other door. "What's through here?"

"Misato--"

She had already stepped through, and paused in shock.

Hundreds of clones. All Rei.

"No..."

"She's part Old One, but she's also part of you, Misato." Shinji's voice was sad. "And she's partially my mother as well. Three sources of genetic material."

Misato's face crumpled. "No, this can't be..." She shook her head. "Why are they in the tanks?"

"I don't know," said Shinji. "Maybe they can't survive outside of the LCL?"

Her face twisted, and she brought up the gun. Shinji started. "No--"

The roar of the HK 40 was deafening in the room, and a glass partition was shattered by the bullet. LCL spilled out into the room, and the clones within the tank crumpled. She brought it around, put another round through the second tank, then the third. All around them, clones died silently, their bodies breaking up slowly. Misato brought the gun up to her shoulder, turned to leave...and froze.

Rei stood at the door.

"Did you know about this?" Misato's voice was harsh, very rough.

"I learned only in the last week that I was a clone." Rei stared at the dying clones. "I have seen this place in Shinji's nightmares. But only a day ago did I learn of these clones."

Misato slowly brought the gun down, until it pointed at Rei. "Only one left now."

"No!" Shinji stepped between the two. "You can't kill her!"

"She's one of _them!_ An Old One!"

"She can't help who she is! She's fighting the Old Ones. She's saved your life and mine!"

"She's--"

"She's your daughter!" Shinji's voice was hard. "Your eggs, remember?"

"My daughter..." Her voice wavered, her gun hand drooped, then came back up firmly. "They mixed up your mother's DNA with that of an Old One, planted it in my egg cell, and grew this...thing! She's not my child."

"I won't let you kill her."

"Stand aside!"

"Misato! You're distraught!"

"Distraught? Why would that be?" She laughed bitterly. "I learn that everything I've ever been told is a lie, and that I've been living with a monster? Could that be it?"

"I won't let you do it." His voice lowered. "You forced me to make a choice. I'm putting it right back on you. If you can shoot your own daughter, surely you'd have no problems shooting me too."

Misato's tears flowed freely now. "You--"

"I wanted to kill a madman. You want to kill an innocent girl." He stepped closer to her, grabbed the gun barrel and pointed it at his heart. "Go on! Shoot!"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't want her to die. And I don't think you could live with yourself if you shot her."

Misato stared at him, then slowly brought the gun back and clicked the safety on. She glanced up at Rei. "I..."

Rei nodded. "You are my mother."

"I should have...I shouldn't have said such things about you." Misato shook her head. "Even if I wasn't your mother, I...I had no right."

"But you do." Her eyes were sad. "I am what I am."

"No. The real monster is Gendo." She holstered the pistol. "And we're going, right now, to get rid of him."

"No." Rei shook her head. "We are out of time. Cthulhu approaches. We have another monster to kill first."


	18. Ignorant Fools

_Disclaimer _

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights. _

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing._

* * *

Misato stepped through the hatch and onto the command deck, pistol still in hand. She shoved it into her shoulder holster, and glowered at the screen. "What's the status?"

"The target is still two hours thirty minutes out. We have some time." Hyuuga glanced up at her. "Sensitives picked it up five minutes ago. They're all dead."

"How?"

"Brains leaking out their ears. Whatever that thing is, it's the most powerful Old One ever to come to this city."

"Order all conventional forces to stand by. In particular, I want the Atlas rocket batteries standing by. Full release of N2 weaponry, on my authority."

"That will not work." Gendo sat behind his desk, hands steepled before his face. "Cthulhu is, as with all the other Old Ones, immune to conventional weaponry."

"The Atlas missiles can engage the target when he reaches three hundred kilometers." Misato glanced at Fuyutsuki. "What does the Book tell us about Cthulhu?"

"That if you blast him into a million pieces, he'll just get angry."

"Anything helpful?"

"He is repelled by the Elder Sign," admitted Fuyutsuki. "It would not harm him, though, as it did Cyäegha."

"Then get it moved to Terminal Dogma," said Misato. "If Cthulhu gets past us, maybe he won't get past it." She stalked to Gendo's desk, and leaned towards him. "Why will he want to get to Terminal Dogma?"

Gendo scowled at her. "You know the answer. If he reaches Terminal Dogma, the planet will suffer a Third Impact."

"Why, dammit?" She was shouting at him now. "Goddamn it, you will fucking tell me what I need to know to kill this beast, or so help me--"

"You will kill me?" Gendo smirked. "If you fail to kill Cthulhu, we will all die anyway."

**- - - - -**

**Tail Kinker Presents**

**Fear**

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Ignorant Fools**

**- - - - -**

Shinji touched the wrist-stud, and the plugsuit contracted, conforming to his body. "According to the Necronomicon, Cthulhu is the most powerful of the Old Ones on Earth. If we can take him out, we've basically won."

"Your copy is abridged," stated Rei. She stepped around the partition, hands clasped in front of her. "There is one more powerful, but he is contained and cannot attack us at this time."

"At this time?" He frowned.

"Yes. He will eventually break loose. But while he is immobilized, two Evangelions will be sufficient to destroy him." She looked down. "I am afraid I will be of no help in this battle; Commander Ikari has not yet authorized the release of Zerogoki."

"He will. Against Cthulhu, he will have to."

"Until he does, I will be ready to sortie at a moment's notice."

Shinji hesitated, then asked, "What are you afraid of?"

She looked up suddenly, and pulled her hands apart. "Fear will not influence my actions."

"I didn't ask that," he said softly. He stepped closer to her. "You're afraid. You never seem afraid before a battle, but I can see that you're scared out of your wits."

"I can feel him...in my mind." She rubbed her temple. "Like a song, a strange song, and the sound of drums..." She shook her head, and allowed it to sag again. "Even if Zerogoki is authorized for launch, I may be of no help to you."

"Don't worry," he said. He stepped closer again, placed his hands on her shoulders. "If I beat him, he can't affect you." He smiled faintly. "So I've got the most important reason to--"

"No!" She pushed his hands away roughly, and looked up at him. He was shocked to see tears coursing from her eyes.

"Rei--"

"Please, do not love me." Her tone was as neutral as ever, but her eyes were pleading. "I can only cause you pain. You have no idea how much."

They stood silently for a long minute, then Shinji stepped up to her. His arms encircled her gently, and he kissed her. When he drew away, he could see the fear in her eyes, warring with something stronger.

"Too late." He smiled again.

"I..." Rei looked down, and said, "We must proceed to the command deck to receive our briefing."

"Yes." He watched her leave the ready room, suddenly uncertain, then fell in behind her.

- - - - -

"Target is maintaining constant speed." Hyuuga frowned at his console, and added, "We've still got a few hours until it gets here."

"Begin startup sequence on Zerogoki and Shogoki."

Gendo scowled. "I have not authorized Unit Zero for release."

Misato scowled at him. "My operation, Sir."

"You may activate the unit, but do not deploy without my clearance."

The hatch opened, and Shinji and Rei stepped onto the command deck. Misato turned to face them. "We've got a bit of time still. Rei, Zerogoki has not yet been cleared for release, but I want you in the plug, the plug inserted, and ready to start on a second's notice."

"I understand."

"Shinji. We're going to hit the target with a full barrage of N2 warheads before it reaches the shore. We're hoping to weaken it, but it's more likely that we'll just piss it off."

Shinji swallowed the panic that warred inside of him. "What are my orders, Captain?"

"Kill it. Plain and simple. Hopefully, this is the last one we'll have to fight, so pull out all the stops. Whatever else happens, the target must be--Rei!" Misato's head turned back towards the albino Pilot. "What's wrong?"

Shinji looked over, and his heart leaped into his throat. Rei's expression was one of mindless panic, the only time she'd ever displayed emotion this clearly.

"He's in my mind--"

"AP and trank!" Misato turned to Maya. "Do it, now!"

Maya fumbled around at her desk, and brought up a syringe. "How do I--"

"Give it to me!" Misato snagged the syringe, and turned and grabbed Rei's shoulder. Rei's hand came up, backhanding Misato. The Captain flew across the command deck, crumpling over a console. Rei slowly turned towards Gendo, her expression shifting to one of murderous anger.

"_This Child could kill you with ease, Mortal._" Her normally expressionless face twisted into a sneer. "_You created her; you know her strength, her limits. You know that they far exceed your own._"

Gendo lowered his hands from his face. "Yes, I do."

"_You have abused her, knowing it would wake me. And you have abused the Father, knowing I would come._"

"You and your kind are a threat to my people."

"_We are as far above your kind as you are above mosquitoes. And so we slap you, just as you would when bitten._" She took a step towards him. "_I will crush the life from you with your own creation. Such bittersweet vengeance._"

"Not today."

The pistol roared, and Rei staggered back, blood flying from her shoulder. Gendo stood and raised the pistol to full extension, and fired again. The slug caught her in the thigh, and she fell to her knees. Again the pistol spoke, and this time, the bullet blew through her abdomen, spraying blood across the floor. Rei collapsed forward, one arm wrapped around her gut.

"You fucking bastard!" Shinji leaped towards him, heedless of the pistol, but Gendo slapped him aside. He smacked into the bulkhead, and staggered to his feet.

Gendo holstered the pistol, and sat down. "Captain Katsuragi."

Misato had finally caught her breath. "Yeah."

"Trauma team to the command deck." He glanced over at Shinji. "Calm yourself, boy. The girl is not fatally injured, and she will heal."

Shinji gritted his teeth, then went over to Rei. He slowly rolled the girl over, and saw with relief that she was still breathing. Her expression showed nothing now, but he could feel the tension in her muscles; she was in terrible pain.

He touched her face, and felt her now-familiar presence. He looked up at Misato. "Cthulhu has left her."

Misato nodded. "Get to your plug."

"But Rei--"

"Trauma team will be here in seconds. Go."

He stood, and nodded. "Aye, ma'am." He turned and ran from the command deck.

Misato glared at Gendo. "I'm surprised you didn't simply kill her. It would follow from your past actions."

"With Rei dead, I would have no further control over Shinji. Or you."

- - - - -

_They rose from the depths, certain that it was for the last time._

The Father is still held below the city. But within his barrier, he can easily be destroyed.

Does it not bother us, that we would destroy our Father?

Part of us relishes the thought of destroying the Father. But Shub-Niggurath is this side of immortal. Even if completely vapourized, he will re-form in time. But a million years, while nothing to an Old One, could see the natural death of the human species.

_A brilliant glare flared to the east, as the bombs on the Atlas rockets exploded._

He has increased speed. He will reach us in minutes now. And he is very angry.

Has he been injured by the blasts?

Yes, but the battle will be far from easy.

- - - - -

The gurney smashed through the swinging doors, into the emergency surgery room. Two medtechs began cutting Rei's plugsuit away from her, while the surgeon started attaching sensors to various parts of her body.

"No damage to lungs, but we need to intubate for surgery."

"Get some morphine into her, she's in a helluva lot of pain!"

"Start a unit, O negative. She's lost a lot of blood."

One of the technicians paused. "Abdominal wound is closing."

"What? You can't be serious."

"Jesus, it's just closing right over!"

The surgeon looked over, and frowned. "She's a fast healer, but not this fast. Is the bullet still in her?"

"No. Exit wound out the back. But the leg--"

"It's already healed." The other technician cut away the leg of the plugsuit, to expose the healed skin beneath. "The bullet is still lodged inside, and she's got a shattered femur that won't set right."

"Can we get it out?"

"At the rate she's healing, no way."

"What about the shoulder?"

"Clavicle's solid again, but twisted. She won't be able to use that arm."

Rei's eyes opened.

"Jesus, she--"

Her arm came up, tearing the restraints like tissue paper, and shoved a medtech aside. The surgeon grabbed a syringe, and fumbled for the IV line, but she tore the needle from her skin, then ripped the remaining restraints apart. Slowly she stood, the tattered remnants of the plugsuit hanging from her body.

The surgeon backed away slowly, placing himself between her and the door. "We're trying to help you."

"Another requires more assistance." She pulled the plugsuit off and tossed it aside, leaving her completely naked. "Get out of my way. I do not wish to cause you injury."

The surgeon hesitated, then stepped aside.

"A wise choice."

She limped towards the exit, then paused, and launched a fist into the communications panel. It shattered under the impact.

- - - - -

_The weather reached the shore before Cthulhu. Clouds swept in ahead of the Old One, lashing the city with toxic rain and lightning. In the midst of it, They stood, Barrier raised and Lance at the ready._

_Cthulhu plunged through the clouds, wings flared, and he slammed into the ground near the shore. The impact raised dust and debris to mix with the rain. When it cleared, They saw him crouched in the crater._

_Slowly he stood._

_Massive batlike wings unfurled, many times larger than Their own. Titanic arms ended in very human hands, save for the razor-sharp talon on each fingertip. Legs the size of the largest tree-trunks supported his misshapen body. His head was bulbous, with two glaring eyes shrouded by a heavy ridge of bone. No mouth was visible; in its place, eight massive tentacles, each as long as They were tall, writhed and weaved. He stepped from the crater, contemptuously knocking one of the strange buildings aside, and flexed his muscles._

He is considerably larger than We are.

Power and size are not always the same. We have defeated larger foes.

Confidence is good, but We must not become overconfident.

_They felt his presence at Their mind. Part of Them remembered the Dreamer Rei, and the other part fought to keep him out. But his mental power was overwhelming._

**WE NEED NOT DO BATTLE. DO NOT SACRIFICE YOURSELF. THERE ARE SO FEW OF OUR KIND REMAINING, THAT ANY FURTHER LOSS IS A TRAGEDY BEYOND WORDS.**

We do not wish to do battle. But your actions will cause harm to those that We value. And therefore, We must destroy you.

**IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT WE FIND OURSELVES AT CROSS PURPOSES. BUT THIS IS A BATTLE THAT YOU CANNOT WIN. IF YOU VALUE YOUR OWN LIFE, DO NOT OPPOSE ME.**

We have no choice. _They readied the Lance._ If we can destroy you, then we can rest.

**SO BE IT.**

_His hand came up, and the Flow wrapped itself around him like a long-separated lover. A torrent of ruinous energy splashed into Their Barrier, eroding it in seconds._

_They did not hesitate, but immediately ran towards him. The Lance swung, and impacted the crown of his head, tearing a long, bloody furrow. He howled in pain, the force of his voice shattering windows all through the city. Again the Flow gathered, and he blasted Them directly, melting Their armour and throwing them aside like a dry leaf._

Our armour is badly damaged; its systems are no longer functioning.

We no longer need it.

_They flexed, and the armour shattered like glass, falling away from Them. Their wings extended, freed for only the second time. The numbing that had accompanied the loss of Their armour in the battle against Ythogtha did not return; They were now One, and the armour was no longer required to control Their actions._

_Cthulhu's mind hammered against Their own, threatening to drive Them insane, but Their minds were two as much as they were one, and he could not pierce their defenses enough to damage them. They knew that part of them, the part that provided their drive, was screaming in terror, but that part still gave them the need to fight, to live._

_They leaped into the air, wings biting the wind, and gathered the Flow. A globe of pure hatred flashed into being, slamming into Cthulhu. Again he howled, but rather than respond with the Flow, he merely ripped a building from its moorings and threw it at Them. They dodged it, and struck again. This time, the Flow gathered at the ground beneath his feet, altering its electrical charges, and massive bolts of electricity jumped from the clouds to the earth. Arcs of lightning rippled along the Old One's frame, illuminating him clearly in the gloom._

_They summoned a Lance, and threw it, piercing him through the torso. Another slammed into his head, and a third tore a wing off at the root. Losing Their lift, they touched down atop a building, and paused._

_Cthulhu rose again. The severed wing dissolved, and from the stump grew a replacement. The Lance wound to the head closed, the one to the torso followed suit moments later._

**YOU BEGIN TO ANNOY ME.**

_He stomped once. They felt the Flow ripple through the earth, and the building atop which they stood crumbled. Their wings spread again, and they touched down, but Cthulhu was upon them in an instant. One massive hand closed over Their head, the talons digging into Their skin. His tentacles lashed out, piercing Their body._

**YOU HOLD THE SOUL OF MY MOTHER/DAUGHTER WITHIN YOU. WITH HER POWER, I WILL BE TRULY IMMORTAL.**

_They twisted, lashing out with a foot, and propelled Themselves away from him. The tentacles tore at Their flesh, but They concentrated the Flow and closed the wounds._

_Cthulhu stalked towards Them, and They could hear the hate and anger in his thoughts._

**STILL YOU PERSIST IN DOING BATTLE. YOU CANNOT HEAL AS FAST AS I, AND EVEN COULD YOU DO SO, YOU CANNOT MATCH THE DAMAGE I CAN INFLICT. YOUR DESTRUCTION WILL FREE THE SOUL OF CTHYLLA, AND I SHALL BECOME EVEN MORE POWERFUL THAN SHUB-NIGGURATH.**

_Again, he strode forward, and backhanded Them. They flew, smashing through a building and coming to rest against the one behind it. He leaped towards Them, and pinned Them against the building._

**IT IS OVER.**

_The tentacles dug into Their flesh again, and this time, They had no way to escape._

- - - - -

The guards that Gendo had posted around the Evangelion cages could prove a problem. Rei could still feel the pain of her damaged bones, as they fought to keep her upright despite their improper healing. Both guards carried automatic weapons, and had undoubtably been told to keep her away from Zerogoki. Should one of them succeed in injuring her, she doubted that she could heal herself again.

Cthulhu's mental touch had opened the floodgates to the Flow; she had more power now than she had ever had before, even in the Dreamlands. But her control was erratic; she had wasted three times as much of the Flow as she should have needed in healing. She could not attack with the Flow, without risking harm to Zerogoki; nor could she conceal herself, nor create a Barrier. Her control was not yet sufficiently fine.

But she needed to get past the guards.

A hand fell on her shoulder, and she felt the touch of a familiar mind. She turned, to see Asuka's face, framed by her unkempt red hair.

"Nigoki." She whispered the Evangelion's name in shock.

"Yes, Dreamer Rei." Asuka's body was draped in a hospital sheet, and she could see the infiltration marks on the girl's hand from the IV. "My Dreamer is safe, and cannot return to this body."

"Asuka is--"

"As I told the Dreamer Shinji, she is now in the Dreamlands. The Dreamer Shinji gave me a gift."

"What did he do?"

"He gave me purpose, the final goal for this body."

"How?"

"With the strength of his connection to you. Even now, I can feel his mind." She touched her face. "He lives only to protect the Dreamers. Not even the Sleepers matter to him. Only you and the Dreamer of Water." She lowered her hand. "I watched you leave the doctors. I followed you, as Shinji wished. I can help you now."

She stood, and ran towards the guards. Rei jumped to her feet.

"No!"

Nigoki slammed into the first guard, catching him completely by surprise. His gun clattered to the ground, and he stumbled, but recovered his footing. One hand locked onto Nigoki's arm.

"Release me!"

Nigoki grabbed the uniformed man's wrist, and bent it backward until the bone cracked. The second guard tackled her about the waist; she brought her fist down on his head, caving his skull in and dropping him lifeless to the ground.

The first guard staggered back, his right hand hanging limp at his side. But the left hand still worked; he clumsily drew his sidearm and brought it to bear on Nigoki. She whirled and leaped towards him.

The pistol barked, one round driving into her stomach. A second pistol shot was answered by the chatter of the submachine gun. The guard staggered back, and looked in shock at Rei, standing nude before him, his own weapon held in her hands. Slowly, he crumpled and fell.

Rei dropped the gun, and ran to Nigoki. The second bullet had gone through her chest, and blood bubbled around the wound with every gasping breath she drew.

"I can heal you, hold still."

"No." Nigoki shook her head. "This body was meant to die. And you will need all your power for what is to come." She shakily raised a hand, and caressed Rei's cheek, leaving a trail of blood. "Never did my Dreamer truly hate you." She smiled, and continued thickly. "Go save the Dreamer Shinji. This is the death that the Dreamer of Fire would wish."

- - - - -

"Still no feedback from Unit One! And I've lost pilot bio-telemetry as well."

"We've lost them from the radar. They're not moving."

Misato fumed, and turned to Aoba. "Give me a visual." She knelt over the hood, and scowled. "I can't see a bloody thing." She turned to Gendo. "We need another sensing platform above. Can we launch Unit Zero strictly for his sensors? Without a Pilot, he will not be able to engage the target."

Gendo scowled. "Do what you must."

Misato turned. "Attach umbilical to Unit Zero."

"Startup sequence engaged."

"Stop plug is already removed. Should I insert the Pilot plug?"

Misato considered, then nodded. "We'll probably need it for the telemetry links."

"Clear to catapult three. Primary and secondary restraints are removed."

"Unit Zero is in motion."

Misato turned to Gendo. "Is there any way to control Unit Zero by remote?"

"Yes. A dummy plug would have allowed that." Gendo scowled. "However, the dummy plug system required a powerful biological computer, and not three hours ago, someone destroyed that system."

"Oh, the irony." Misato's tone was mocking. "Instead of belittling me, why not--"

"I have a sync harmonic!"

"What?" Misato turned back to Aoba. "What the hell are you--"

"The A20 nerve interface is coming up on its own."

"Abort!"

Aoba stabbed at a key, then hammered it with his fist. "It's not responding!"

"Patch me into the plug."

The commo screen flared to life, to reveal Rei. Nude save for the A20 clips, she floated in the LCL. The wounds she'd suffered at Gendo's hands were gone.

"Evangelion, Unit Zero." Her voice was as calm as ever. "Prepared to launch."


	19. Where They Ruled Then

_Disclaimer_

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights._

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing._

* * *

"Evangelion, Unit Zero." Rei's voice was as calm as ever. "Prepared to launch." 

Gendo stood angrily. "I did not authorize deployment of Unit Zero."

"Nonetheless, I am ready to deploy." Rei tapped controls on the plug console. "Please clear the route to the surface."

"Rei!" Gendo ground his teeth. "I forbid this! Remember your place."

"My place is at his side."

"This is not why I created you!"

"I am not your puppet." Rei's voice was calm, cool. "I choose my own path. If the route to the surface is not clear, I shall be forced to carve my way out."

"Lieutenant Ibuki. Increase the pressure in the plug, and render the Pilot unconscious."

"I can't." Maya shook her head. "We didn't activate remote telemetries, just the sensory gear."

"Katsuragi!" Gendo whirled to face the Captain. "Activate all restraints, and shut down the catapult."

Misato hesitated, then turned back to the screen. "Hyuuga, open all hatches."

Hyuuga swallowed. "Route to surface confirmed clear by visual inspection."

"Captain--"

"Evangelion, Unit Zero, lift off!"

"_No!_"

Gendo's shout of rage was drowned out by the sound of the catapult firing. Misato turned and glared at him.

"This is my battle. You can feel free to kill me, if you think you'll be able to direct those two in combat."

Gendo slowly sat down. "I do not need to. When Shinji learns that you have just sacrificed Rei for nothing, he will kill you himself. If Cthulhu does not reach us first."

**- - - - -**

**Tail Kinker Presents**

**Fear**

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Where They Ruled Then**

**- - - - -**

_Zerogoki burst from the catapult, the Flow enhancing his leap into the sky. Deep within him, Rei found herself falling deeper in the Dream than she had thought possible._

This will be the last time We fight together.

**WE HAVE SEEN THIS. THERE IS NO WAY THAT WE CAN SURVIVE AGAINST CTHULHU.**

Then all that remains for Us to do is to save Our Sister.

**AT LONG LAST, WE SHALL BE FREE. FREE OF THE TYRANNY OF SHUB-NIGGURATH, FREE OF THE OPPRESSION OF THE SLEEPERS. FREE FROM THE PAIN.**

_Their armour warped, and burst from Their body, freeing their wings. They unfurled, catching the wind, and summoned Their barrier._

_Below them, in the strange city, Their Sister was pinned against a building by Cthulhu. His tentacles dug into her body, questing for the life-force of his mother/daughter. Their wings tucked, the Lance appeared unbidden in hand, and They dove._

_The impact of their landing smashed a crater into the streets, and the Lance swung down, severing Cthulhu's tentacles. He staggered back, roaring in pain. The Lance swung again, catching him across the head and carving a bloody furrow. They spun. A massive fist smashed into his head, energy roaring in brilliant arcs as Their form was cancelled by his, and he flew backwards, smashing into a building._

_They followed, Lance held to impale, and drove it into him, piercing him through to the building behind them. Their body smashed into him, arcs again forming and sparking around Them. Still They clung to him, despite the terrible pain wracking Their body._

_And Cthulhu laughed._

**FOOLISH. I GROW STRONGER FROM YOUR ENERGIES, NOT WEAKER. THERE IS NO WAY THAT YOU CAN DEFEAT ME.**

_They knew it for truth, but grimly continued to hold. More and more energy coursed between them, draining from Their body to his._

**EVEN SHOULD OUR PLAN BE FULLY SUCCESSFUL, CTHULHU MAY GAIN TOO MUCH POWER FOR SHOGOKI TO BE ABLE TO DEFEAT HIM.**

_Part of them knew this, and knew that there was only one way to damage him enough to give Shinji his chance._

**WE KNEW FREEDOM WOULD COME OF THIS.**

But we will not see him again.

**WE WILL NOT. BUT YOU SHALL.**

_She felt herself fall away from the Dream, and hurriedly began tapping controls. A communication screen sprang open, and Misato's face appeared within it._

_"Rei! What the hell are you doing? You're making it stronger!"_

_"Not for long, Captain Katsuragi." She completed her preparations. "I must return to the Dream. It has been an honour to serve with you."_

_"Rei--"_

_"Please tell Shinji that my last thought was of him."_

_The communication screen snapped shut, and she dove back to the Dream._

All is ready.

**THEN THE TIME FOR FREEDOM IS AT HAND.**

_Already They could feel the fire burning in Their veins, as Their body turned on itself. Their skin glowed incandescent._

**Shinji!**

- - - - -

The explosion rocked the command deck.

"Rei!" Misato whirled to face Maya. "What the fuck happened?"

"I've still got two high-energy signatures, but both are clearly identifiable as EVA." Maya shook her head. "Did she get it?"

Misato turned to the hood, and peered through. It took her a moment to find a working camera, and another to find the blast area. Smoke still roiled around the building, but something moved within.

Cthulhu stepped from the flaming wreckage, to all appearances completely unharmed from the thunderous blast.

"Negative, negative! Target is still mobile!"

"What the fuck does it take to put that thing down?" Aoba was starting to come unglued. "We've nuked it, we've sent two EVA against it, one of them blew up right in its lap! We're fucked!"

Gendo rose from his seat. "Sound evacuation. Both EVA units are destroyed, and it is only a matter of time before Cthulhu reaches Terminal Dogma."

"We--"

"We've lost!"

"No!" Misato slammed a fist down on her console. "We can still fight it. Shogoki is immobile, but not destroyed!"

"Before Rei so obligingly gave Cthulhu all of Zerogoki's energy, Shogoki might have won." Gendo scowled. "If you had not ordered Zerogoki into combat--"

"Cthulhu could have drained the energy from Shogoki just as easily."

"No, he couldn't!" roared Gendo. "If he could, he would have done so!"

"Movement on Unit One!" Hyuuga jumped to his feet. "Shinji is moving again!"

"It does not matter." Gendo shook his head. "All that can happen is that he can cover our escape. Sound evacuation."

Misato considered him, long and hard. Then spoke.

"I swore an oath, sir. To protect this world from the Old Ones." Her hand clasped her cross. "You do not have the authority to discharge me from my oath."

She turned back to the technicians.

"Status of EVA Unit One?"

"Umbilicus is severed, but power levels are not dropping."

"Patch me in."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Shinji."

His voice was weak. "Rei...She's dead."

"Yes. But she may have weakened Cthulhu enough to defeat him."

His voice changed, and she felt the hairs rise up on the back of her neck.

"You lie to Us, Dreamer of Water. He is not weaker, but stronger. But the Dreamer Rei has given Us the key to victory."

- - - - -

_They pulled themselves upright, and faced the Old One as he approached._

**YOUR BROTHER WAS FOOLISH.** _He raised his hands, stared at the crackling energy between them._ **HE HAS GIVEN ME MORE POWER THAN EVEN CTHYLLA'S SOUL COULD GRANT. I SHALL NOW TAKE WHAT IS MINE.**

As you wish.

_They opened Themselves, and allowed the essence of Cthylla to pass between them. Cthulhu staggered back in shock, as the soul of the Old One Cthylla merged with his own._

_And cancelled it out._

Zerogoki did not die in vain. Rei did not die in vain. You absorbed Their energies, but at a cost.

_Cthulhu fell to his knees._

Your energies have changed. Become as ours. And the energies of an Old One are opposite.

_Arcs ran across his body, flashing to the streets, the buildings, the power lines. His frame dwindled, crumpling inwards on itself._

And so they cancel each other out, leaving you with only the power you stole from Zerogoki. Lessened by the amount you spent recovering after They sacrificed themselves.

_They raised the gun pod, and chambered a round._

And now, you are least among the Old Ones. _They smiled, cracking the helmet, and bared Their teeth._ We have already defeated far stronger than you.

**EVEN IN MY WEAKENED STATE, THAT SLEEPER-MADE TOY CANNOT HARM ME.**

That may have been true, save that the bullets are formed from the bones of an Evangelion.

_His eyes widened._

_They pulled the trigger. The gun pod roared, explosive shells hammering Cthulhu's form and spraying flechettes of bone shards throughout his body. They held down the trigger until the gun pod ran dry, then cast it aside._

_Cthulhu bled from a hundred wounds, but still had not crumpled. They strode forward, the Lance springing to life in Their hand. They stepped up beside him, and raised the Lance._

For Rei.

_The Lance came down, severing his head from his body._

- - - - -

"No!" screamed Keel. His fist smashed down into the table, the brittle bones shattering, but he did not feel the pain.

"Gendo's betrayal is complete," observed Yamahito. "Both Cthulhu and Cthylla are lost, and neither can regenerate without the other."

Keel turned to him. "We cannot allow this sacrelige to pass unpunished. Deploy the JSSDF. I want NERV destroyed utterly."

Yamahito nodded. "As you wish."

- - - - -

"Recovery is complete." Maya examined her board, then looked over at Misato. "Pilot extraction will take about ten minutes."

Misato blew over her cup of coffee, and grinned. "Last time. Make sure we do it right."

"It would be embarrassing to lose him again, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, especially after--" She broke off as an alarm wailed to life. "What's happening?"

Aoba stared at his monitor. "Intrusion. Someone's trying to hack the MAGI."

"Cut the hard line."

"Yes, ma'am." He twisted a control, then stared in shock. "Pyrotechnic charges failed to detonate."

Misato grabbed the telephone and punched in a number. She waited long seconds, and said, "No answer from that sector's sub-control node." She punched another number. "No answer from the front gate." She dropped the phone, and turned to Maya. "Give me a security cam on the front gate."

The screen cleared, to show the front gate standing open, the guards dead on the ground.

"It's DAGON." Fuyutsuki sighed. "They've decided to take vengeance for Cthulhu."

"How could they--wait. Vengeance?"

Gendo answered her question. "It has always been their plan to pave the way for Cthulhu's return, by removing his enemies among the Old Ones."

"You were helping them?"

"They thought so." Gendo smiled tightly. "I wanted them all dead, not merely most of them."

"How could they hit us so quickly?"

"They have been observing us for at least the last month."

"Sound intruder alert." Misato pulled a key from her pocket, and unlocked the weapons locker. "Everyone grab a firearm. Hyuuga, can you seal us off from the troops in the building?"

"I think so. But Shinji--"

"I'll get him up here."

"Aw, fuck." Hyuuga stared at the screen. "The intruder program is trying to lock all the doors open."

"Can you bypass it?"

"Not from here. I might be able to lock out the intruder, though."

"Do your best." Misato grabbed the phone again, tapped in another number. This time, she got an answer.

"Cages."

"This is Captain Katsuragi. What is the Pilot's condition?"

"Physically unhurt, but...I think he's in shock or something."

"Get him up here, right away."

- - - - -

"Yes, ma'am."

The doctor hung up the telephone, and walked back to the plug.

"Shinji."

"She's dead." Shinji sat in the plug, legs pulled up to his chest. "She died, to save me."

"It's over. You've killed the last one."

"It _is_ over." He did not look up. "I finally told her. And now she's dead."

"You need to go to the command deck."

"Why bother." He snorted. "My father orders me there? So he can tell me I'm no longer needed? Already figured that one out."

The doctor sighed, and glanced at the two nurses at his side. "Drag him out of there, if you need to. The Captain wants him on the command deck."

The nurses turned to follow his instructions, but Shinji stood, and climbed out of the plug. "Misato needs me? Not my father?"

"Yeah."

He turned and took a step towards the door, but staggered. One of the nurses grabbed him, pulled him upright.

"Asuka..." He took another step forward, towards a draped gurney.

"You can't help her." The doctor shook his head. "She was shot multiple times, and still managed to kill both the guards."

"Why--"

It was the male nurse who answered him. "Rei got up in the middle of us trying to help her, and walked off. Asuka got up right behind her, and we followed Asuka." He indicated two other gurneys. "These goons tried to stop them, and Asuka went nuts on them."

"She must have known," said Shinji. "She knew what Rei was planning, and helped her do it." He staggered again, grief hitting him anew.

"Careful, kid. You just had a helluva fight. If you want, we can get you a wheelchair."

"I'm fine." He shook his head. "I...I need to get to the command deck."

"Take it slow. We'll be right behind you."

The door opened, and three men stepped in. All were dressed completely in black, and all three carried submachine guns. The doctor looked up in surprise. "What the--"

One of the machine guns fired, bullets slamming into the doctor. The startled expression on his face did not fade as he crumpled to the ground. One of the nurses dove to the side, and was cut down. The third raised her hands, and stepped in front of Shinji.

"I don't know who you are, but you don't need to--"

The assassin didn't hesitate, merely shot her. Shinji stared in shock as she crumpled. Then looked up at the assassin.

"She was unarmed!"

"Doesn't matter." The assassin raised his gun. "Shinji Ikari, for your heresy and treason against the Old Ones, you are sentenced to death."

He leaped forwards, closing the distance between them in far less time than even he expected. His hand knocked the man's gun into the air, causing bullets to ricochet off the ceiling, and then his foot came up, driving into the man's testicles. His grip on the gun weakened, and Shinji pulled it from his hands and clubbed him across the face with it.

He fell away, hands coming up to cover his face. Shinji dived and rolled, bullets hammering into the ground behind him, and came up, gun pointed directly at the second assassin.

_Aim at the center. Pull the trigger._

His finger tightened on the trigger, and the gun spat a three-round burst, putting the man down for the count. He brought the submachine gun around, and put the next three rounds into the third man's face.

A heavy boot slammed into his head, and the gun clattered across the floor. He pulled himself to his feet, to see the first assassin, face bleeding, draw his sidearm and level it at him.

"Sorry, kid. Nothing personal."

A massive purple fist slammed down on top of him, crushing the life from him like a mosquito. Shinji looked up in shock, to see Shogoki, still within the tank of LCL, staring back at him.

- - - - -

"We've managed to lock out the attacking programs," reported Maya. "There's some kind of AI, defending the system."

"What kind?" Misato craned her neck over the top of the monitor. "I can't read this bloody thing upside down."

"It's a personality simulation. Shouldn't be of any use for this, but it's tied into almost every part of the computer."

"Way to go, Ritsuko," breathed Misato.

"Heavy fighting in C block," yelled Aoba. "They're getting closer."

"At least they haven't used an N2 mine on us."

"They cannot," said Gendo. "If they do, they know they will cause a terrible cataclysm."

The hatch slid open, and Shinji ran onto the control deck, submachine gun cradled in both hands.

"Shinji!" Misato turned. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." He rubbed his side, gasping for air. "Ran into some bad guys. The whole facility is crawling with them."

"DAGON will be intent on killing everyone in the facility." Gendo scowled. "But in particular, they will want Asuka, Shinji and me."

"Asuka's dead." Shinji scowled. "I found her outside the cages. She'd been shot."

"You're kidding!" Misato's jaw gaped. "I thought she was brain-dead."

"Nigoki's mind was in her body, remember?"

"And they found you, but you beat them."

"Three of them. I avoided the rest. Most likely, they'll be trying to get here."

"They are," confirmed Hyuuga. "I've been sealing bulkheads around them, trying to steer them away from here, but they've overridden some."

"So they're after you and Gendo?" Misato smirked. "Well, we'll just have to make sure that they don't get what they want."

She turned, drew her sidearm in one smooth motion, and fired.

Gendo staggered back into his chair, staring in disbelief at the bloody hole in his chest. Misato stalked forwards, the gun at full extension, her off hand cupping the base.

"Now then. My oath is discharged. The last of the Old Ones is dead." She smiled cruelly. "And that means that there is no further use for you."

Gendo scrabbled for his gun, but Misato fired again, this time hitting his right wrist. He stared up at her, his breath coming in bloody rattles.

"You fool. One remains, in Terminal Dogma."

"Imprisoned." Shinji nodded. "I can take care of him in short order."

"The DAGON Council's soldiers will reach this deck very soon. You need me to intercede with them."

"Not at all true." Kouzou Fuyutsuki smiled tightly. "By destroying both Cthulhu and Cthylla, you have guaranteed that they will show no mercy."

"I am the commander of this facility!"

"Not any more." Misato carefully sighted down the length of the pistol. "This facility is no longer needed."

His eyes turned to Shinji. "Pilot Ikari. I order you to place Captain Katsuragi under arrest. The charge is mutiny."

Shinji said nothing, merely stood and stared at him coldly.

"That is a direct order! Stop her!"

Shinji glanced over at Misato. "I must proceed to Terminal Dogma, and destroy Shub-Niggurath."

"Understood, Pilot Ikari."

"Shinji!" Gendo's voice was becoming frantic. "Stop her."

Shinji glanced back down at him. "Unfortunate." His voice was terribly cold. "I was hoping that you were ready to be a man."

Gendo's eyes widened in horror.

The pistol spoke once more.


	20. Fear

_Disclaimer_

_Shin Seiki Evangelion was created by Hideki Anno, and is owned by Gainax. Use of the characters and situations therein are not intended as any challenge of their copyrights._

_Mythos elements were created by H. P. Lovecraft and owned by Arkham Publishing._

* * *

"Area is secure," reported the Corporal. 

The Sergeant nodded, and tapped a control on his wrist. "Lieutenant, we've secured the main computer room."

"Any luck bypassing the lockouts?"

"No." The Sergeant glanced over at a PFC. "It seems that the computer is almost...fighting back against us."

"Can you shut it down?"

"I can, but then it won't be any use to us."

"It also won't be of any use to them. My authorization, Sergeant; shut it down."

"Understood." The sergeant looked back at the PFC. "Private, take that machine down."

"The system's fighting the shutdown command. I can do it, but it might not come back up."

"Do it."

The PFC nodded, and unlimbered his rifle. "Suggest you clear the room, Sergeant."

- - - - -

**Tail Kinker Presents**

**Fear**

**Chapter Twenty**

- - - - -

"That's it." Hyuuga took off his headphones. "They've taken down the computer."

"They overrode the security lockouts?"

He shook his head. "No, I suspect they blew it up."

"Okay." Misato scowled. "What can we do to defend this location without the computer?"

"Blast doors are already sealed, and without the computer, they can't re-open them."

"Good." She glanced over at Maya. "Status of Unit One?"

"They haven't reached it yet. But with the MAGI down, we won't be able to control it."

"That's all right. Shinji has demonstrated that he doesn't need the MAGI for control."

"There's another problem," said Aoba. "With the blast doors locked down...he can't reach Shogoki."

- - - - -

The firefight had reached the lower levels. NERV troops, unaware of the situation, had fallen back slowly, saturating the enemy forces with fire. But they were badly outnumbered, and had no heavy weapons.

The Colonel advanced behind his troops, reporting in to the Brigadier as each checkpoint was reached and secured. The JSSDF soldiers were backed by an engineering company, who were charged with breaching each blast door in their path.

The Colonel waved a commo tech over, and took the field radio headset from him. "Sir, we've got almost complete control of sub-level D. Isolated pockets of resistance remain."

"Keep those pockets bottled up, but don't worry too much about them. Proceed to sub-level E, and Terminal Dogma."

"Sir, I don't--"

"That's an order, Colonel."

The Colonel drew a breath. "Sir, yes sir. But it is my duty to remind the Brigadier that forces left on our flanks could cut us off from support."

The Brigadier paused. "You are correct, Colonel. However, once your objective is achieved at Terminal Dogma, there will be no need to worry about that."

The Colonel frowned. "Yes, sir." He disconnected the radio, and glanced over at the Captain of the engineering company. "Have you been briefed on Terminal Dogma?"

"Yes, sir." The Captain consulted his palmtop computer. "Foot-thick steel blast doors. We brought twenty-four burning charges specifically to cut those doors open."

The Colonel clicked his microphone. "Able Company and Echo Company. Advance to sub-level E and complete mission objective."

- - - - -

Something thumped on the blast door. Misato waved two NERV soldiers forward. "Take cover behind the consoles. When I give the word, we'll be falling back via emergency exits."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Hyuuga."

The technician had an access panel open on the floor, and had been fighting with the mechanical equipment underneath. "Yes, ma'am?"

"How long?"

"I've got the mechanics hooked up, but it will be at least another two minutes before we can cycle these doors." Hyuuga scowled at the hydraulics, and added, "probably longer."

"Okay." Misato drew her sidearm, and crouched behind a console.

The outline of the blast door glared brilliantly, as shaped charges burned their way through its actuators. The door crumpled inwards, melted, shrapnel spraying across the command deck. Misato waited until the noise faded, and yelled, "This area is secure!"

No troops came through the doorway. A voice yelled back, "Captain Katsuragi! Surrender, and I guarantee the lives of your crew."

"Myself included."

"No. For your heresy and treason against the Old Ones, you are sentenced to death. But you can save your crew."

Misato glanced over at the soldier next to her. "It almost seems worth it."

"You gonna take him up on it?"

"No." She grinned. "I know they have no intention of letting anyone leave here alive." She turned back towards the door. "Give me two minutes to consider."

The voice from the doorway responded, "You have twenty seconds."

- - - - -

Shinji scowled at the scene before him. Thirty soldiers, perhaps more, clustered around the blast door sealing the cages. He'd had a hard time dealing with three, even with Shogoki's help.

Four of the soldiers were attaching something to the blast doors. He realized that they were explosive devices.

He looked down at the submachine gun in his hands. He doubted he could kill all of them with it...but he needed to reach Shogoki.

_Do not fear the Dream._

He turned, startled, but there was no-one there.

_Do not retreat._

"Rei?" He whispered her name, almost like a prayer.

_I fear to be alone tonight._

"Rei? Where are you?"

_I Dream. Freedom from fear and from pain._

"The Dreamlands." His eyes widened. "You escaped."

_Yes._

"What can I do? How can I get past those goons, to Shogoki?"

_Wake up._

Memories flooded into his mind. Memories of their days in the Dreamlands. And he realized what she meant.

"I don't know if I'm as strong as you, Rei."

_I choose my own path. The sound of drums..._

He closed his eyes. Remembered the moment Rei died, his name her last word. Remembered Asuka's death, the memory passed through Rei.

These people, outside the door. They served another master. The DAGON Council. The Council were responsible for Asuka's death. They had awoken the Old Ones. They had brought Cthulhu, who had killed Rei.

And now, their soldiers were trying to kill Misato. Himself. Shogoki.

He checked the chamber on the submachine gun, then stepped around the corner. He brought the gun up to his shoulder, stock snug to his cheek, and squeezed the trigger.

The Heckler and Koch MP5A3 was designed with low recoil and silenced operation in mind. He walked the rounds across the group of soldiers, watching them crumple under his fire. In less than two seconds, the gun locked open on an empty chamber, and the troopers had only just started to realize that they were taking fire.

Many were already down, wounded or dead, but three turned towards him, weapons raised.

"It's Ikari!"

"Kill him, now!"

He smirked, and raised the Barrier. Bullets impacted it, ricocheting off into the walls. He raised his hand, traced the Lesser Sign, and a wave of heat incinerated the front line of soldiers.

"How the fuck is he doing that?"

"Grenades, now."

He willed the Lance into existence, and leaped down the hallway, carving into them.

- - - - -

A grenade bounced into the room, and Misato yelled. "Get down!"

Shrapnel peppered the console, and she shook her head to clear the ringing. "Return fire!"

The two soldiers hammered the doorway with weapons fire, and Misato drew a bead, waiting. One emptied his magazine, and as he paused to reload, two JSSDF troopers leaned out, bringing their own weapons to bear. Misato shot one through the head, and the other ducked back under cover.

"Hyuuga! What's the status on that hatch?"

"Thirty more seconds!"

"Everyone fall back to the escape hatch!" Misato fired three more rounds, waited until she saw the rest of the staff at the hatch, then fell back to the next console back.

The two NERV soldiers remained, firing into the doorway.

"Come on!"

"No, ma'am." One of them dropped back down behind the console to reload. "We'll cover your retreat."

"You can't beat them! They'll be bringing up the heavy weapons soon."

"Then you'd better get out of here, ma'am." He cycled the bolt on his submachine gun, bringing it back into battery.

"Hatch is open!"

Misato turned to the staff. "Go. Just jump in, and the slides will take you down to sub-level C."

Maya was the first down, followed by Fuyutsuki. Misato watched as the rest followed them, then turned back to the troopers. "Okay, everyone's away. Let's go, fall back!"

"Can't." The Corporal shook his head. "We can't let them take the hatch, or they'll follow you. Get through, and we'll seal it behind you."

"Dammit, that's an order! Fall back!"

"Ma'am." The Corporal fit his last magazine to the submachine gun. "It has been an honour to serve you."

Misato locked eyes with him, then nodded. And jumped down the hatch.

"Private, seal that hatch, then blow the controls."

"Yes, Corp." The Private moved to the hatch controls, and the Corporal popped back up, suppressing the door. The clip didn't last long; the UMP10 didn't fire as fast as the MP5, but it had a smaller magazine. Only three seconds until it locked open.

"Hatch sealed." The Private pulled a grenade from his belt, yanked the pin from it and dropped it into the access panel. He moved back to the console, tossed a clip to the Corporal. The crack of the grenade made them wince, but the Corporal smiled.

"That will slow them down." He loaded the clip, and yanked back the charging handle. "Think they'll accept our surrender?"

"I don't think so, Corp." The Private dropped his submachine gun, and pulled another grenade.

"Then let's make sure we take a large honour guard with us to hell."

- - - - -

"Shinji!"

He turned, to see the bridge staff approaching, Misato in the lead.

"We managed to get away. What's going on down here?"

"I've seen where they're going." He rubbed his temple. "Shogoki showed me. They're going to try to destroy Shub-Niggurath."

"The Old One, in Terminal Dogma?" Misato frowned. "I thought they wanted to save the Old Ones."

"No. The DAGON Council wanted to protect Cthulhu. With Cthulhu dead, now they want to make sure that NERV doesn't come after them." He smiled. "If Shub-Niggurath dies, then Shogoki dies."

"Is there any way we can stop them?"

He shook his head. "There's too many there. But they can't hurt him."

"Only an EVA."

"Yes. Rei predicted that two EVA would be needed to kill Shub-Niggurath, but that was while he was contained." He turned to face the titanic Evangelion. "Now, we have one, and DAGON's soldiers will fail to kill Shub-Niggurath."

"Then--"

"They will only succeed in freeing him." He turned back to Misato. "Get everyone out. Evacuate completely. I will stop Shub-Niggurath."

"You just told me that you would need two EVA."

"To kill him. I need merely slow him down."

"No!" Misato screamed. "No-one else is dying for me!"

"Shub-Niggurath will destroy all the Sleepers, for he has seen that we can destroy him and his kind." His voice took on the eerie timber that told her that it was Shogoki speaking, not Shinji. "But there is a chance for survival for your kind, and for the Sleepers."

"What are you talking--"

"Our blood flows in your veins, Captain Katsuragi." He smiled. "It is still dormant, for you are less than five percent Deep One. But you know that your father came from Okinawa."

Her eyes widened. "You mean..."

"You will go into the sea. We have seen it in your blood."

"No..." She crumpled to her knees.

"Do not fear it. It is part of who you are, just as it is part of who we are."

"Oh, my God." Her hand clutched at her cross.

"This is why your mind survives the sight of an Old One. This is why you have survived wounds that would kill a Sleeper." His hand touched her face. "This is why we know you will survive the Third Impact."

"How...how many others?"

"All of NERV's staff were selected from those with Deep One blood." He smiled. "All but the Commander and his aide. We have seen that Shub-Niggurath will not harm those of the blood. But you must take them from here, or he will destroy you for imprisoning him."

Misato nodded, and stood. "I'll get them out." Impulsively, she drew him into an embrace.

He returned it, then stepped back, a smile on his face. "We will miss you, Dreamer of Water."

"I will miss both of you." She turned back to the crew. "All right, let's go! Tunnel 17C will take us to the Geofront, then from there, we can get out to the surface. Let's move, the clock is ticking!"

- - - - -

Why did you lie to her, Dreamer Shinji?

I did not lie. What We plan, they will survive.

_Once again, They were one. No plug this time, no suit, no A20 link. Merely two bodies, merged into one. Two minds, with one goal._

_The service shaft was too narrow for Their wings, so They furled them, and dropped like a stone. Near the bottom, Their arms reached out, slowing their fall, Their claws tearing up the metal. They reached the bottom of the shaft, and tore the bulkhead from their path._

_Beyond was Terminal Dogma._

_Twenty massive graves, still open. Each contained an Evangelion, one that had died before successful activation. The score of graves formed a circle, and at the center of the circle was Shub-Niggurath._

_They had seen him in nightmares. Thousands of weaving tentacles, some as slender as a Sleeper's arm, others thicker around than Themselves._

The Sleeper soldiers will breach the door to Terminal Dogma. We must stop them.

We cannot. What will be, will be.

_The door sizzled, a seven-foot circle blazing into brilliant light as explosive devices cut their way through the steel. The blast lanced out into Terminal Dogma, starting several fires, and destroying one of the guardposts that held Shub-Niggurath prisoner. A thousand voices rose from the Old One, as he renewed his struggle to escape._

_Through the newly formed gap, dozens of soldiers poured through. But these were ordinary humans. Not descendants of the Deep Ones, like the Dreamers. They had no protection from the awesome presence of Shub-Niggurath._

_Memories of the Old Ones ran deep within each Sleeper's soul, far deeper than they could know. The incredible power of an Old One, the utter terror they represented, and the simple insignificance of mankind was brought to bear on them. Their minds snapped like brittle twigs. Many simply died, their bodies crumpling on the spot; others broke, screaming and running. One raised a recoilless rifle, intending to attack the horror before him, but had apparently failed to properly operate the weapon; it exploded in his hands, killing him._

_They smirked._ They honestly felt that they could destroy him.

**IS THAT NOT WHY YOU ARE HERE?**

No. We have come in an attempt to save what lives we can.

**THERE IS NO REASON FOR ME TO SPARE ANYONE**

And there is no way for me to convince you otherwise. Therefore, we must do battle with you, to buy them time to escape.

**ANY ATTEMPT ON ME IS A FUTILE WASTE OF YOUR LIFE, AS YOU HAVE NO CHANCE TO DEFEAT ME**

_They nodded; They had expected this. But the Lance formed within Their hands, and They leaped forward. The Barrier containing the Old One failed before They got halfway there, and several tentacles lashed out, wrapping Their body completely._

- - - - -

**IT WAS FOOLISH OF YOU TO ATTACK ME**

Most likely correct, but what else could he do? Misato and the others had to get away, as far away as possible.

**NO MATTER THE DISTANCE THAT THEY FLEE, THEY CANNOT ESCAPE MY CHILDREN**

The Thousand Young. Had he not faced them already, in the battle against Nug and Yeb?

**WHILE I WAS ASLEEP, CONTROL OF THE YOUNG PASSED TO THE STRONGEST OF THEM**

Was that why Shub-Niggurath had kept him alive? To punish him for destroying his Children?

**DEATH COMES TO ALL, BUT TO THE WEAKEST FIRST**

Yes. Everyone died. There was no exception to this.

**IN THE END, SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST IS THE ONLY UNIVERSAL LAW**

**Survival** _was_ important, no doubt about this. The two most basic human instincts, survival and reproduction, and what was reproduction but another form of survival. Of the species, not of the individual. Nigoki had failed to understand this, though it was not his fault.

**HE WAS ONE OF MY YOUNG**

Not a surprise.

**SO WAS THE ONE YOU CALLED SHOGOKI**

Was she dead, too?

**DEATH COMES TO ALL**

So what mattered, since everyone died, was how death would find them.

**THE MANNER IN WHICH IT ARRIVES IS IRRELEVANT**

Maybe to an Old One, but not to a human.

His mind expanded, touched on the minds of those he had encountered in this strange city. On Misato, witnessing the last moments of a pair of soldiers that she didn't even know by name. He watched, sharing her sense of despair and grief as they chose to cover the escape of the bridge crew, paying for it with their own lives.

On his father, who fought to rid the world of the Old Ones, so that none others would feel the pain that he had endured. Learned that it had been he who ordered the destruction of the Deep One City in the Pacific, the attack that had killed his mother. Learned of his revulsion at the discovery of the tainted blood that filled Shinji's own veins. And the moment of Gendo's death, the only regret being that he had not saved humanity.

He watched as Toji struggled with the death of his sister, turning himself into an instrument of vengeance. He witnessed the terrifying events surrounding his selection and development as a Pilot, until his very soul was destroyed by an Old One. He recalled that he had still not spent time grieving for his sometime friend, sometime enemy.

He watched as a man he'd known only from Asuka's descriptions and dreams succumbed to poison and dehydration, still struggling to deliver his last message to the woman he loved.

He watched as Aida's mind snapped, his Deep One blood not running thick enough to protect him from the sight of the Wendigo. He had chosen to be there, at that battle, as he felt he owed it to Shinji, and it had cost him his life. He tasted the boy's gratitude as Misato ordered the euthanization of his still-breathing corpse, freeing him from his nightmares at last.

He watched as Ritsuko fought to uncover the truth, driving herself to face her own demons and turn against the man she loved. He felt her heart break as she realized the degree to which she had been betrayed, minutes before it was destroyed by a 9mm slug.

He tasted Asuka's pain and shame at discovering that she was the worst of three Pilots, to be trained by one she despised. To be surpassed at everything by the other that she hated. Felt her grow in confidence with her Evangelion, until she and Nigoki were one. He felt Nigoki's mounting terror as she was slowly consumed by her own inner demon, and his final desperate act to save her soul. And he felt the love for him, that had driven her to cross space and time to save him.

He had dreaded the last, but touched on it now. Rei. He felt her love for him, beyond anything she could comprehend. Save that it had driven her to sacrifice herself to save him.

**SHE DIED IN VAIN**

No.

**YOU WILL DIE HERE, AND HER SACRIFICE WILL BE WASTED**

Would it?

- - - - -

Misato stepped back, raising her pistol, as massive tentacles broke through the pavement.

"Fuck! Get back, go around the other way!" She emptied the pistol into the monster before her. "Aoba, is there another way to the airstrip?"

"Yeah, if we hurry." Aoba was half-carrying Maya; the woman had collapsed in shock at the appearance of the Old One. "We can take L Street, but if we don't move it, that thing can cut us off."

"Then go, take them with you." Misato fell back, ejecting the spent clip and jamming another one in. "I can't stop this thing, but maybe I can keep it busy."

"It's ignoring us, for now."

"It won't stay that way." She raised the pistol, but Hyuuga grabbed her arm.

"Ma'am, we don't need you to slow it down. Come on!"

She stared at him, then nodded. "Okay, let's go. Maya, we've got to run!"

- - - - -

Across the planet, the Thousand Young arose.

In Tiannenmen Square, a squalling nightmare burst forth, scattering thousand-year-old masonry. Lacking the knowledge gained at great cost by NERV, the Chinese government sent the entire People's Army against it, to no avail.

In Boston, the creature surfaced off the shore, and quickly moved into town, tearing up buildings and killing indiscriminately. In desperation, the U.S. Air Force hit the town with a thermonuclear warhead. This had the sole result of killing every living person that had been spared by the Old One. The monster itself was completely unharmed.

The Sea of Galilee boiled madly as the creature lying at the bottom rose from the dead. The Israeli government did not move against it. They already knew that their fates were sealed, though the reasons behind it escaped them.

The European Union closed ranks to assault the monster that tore its way through St. Peter's Square. Many spoke of Armageddon, or of Ragnarok, or one of a hundred other predictions of the end of the world. Knowledge of their impending death hampered the soldiers of the Union, but it mattered little. Their deaths were as pre-ordained as though their prophecies were true. All that changed was the form it took.

The Australian desert exploded in a cloud of sand and horror. The Royal Australian Armed Forces had been briefed on the Old Ones, and did not attempt to engage it. Instead, they concentrated on trying to evacuate their island nation. Even if the means to do so had existed, they did not yet realize that there was nowhere else to go.

- - - - -

**DO YOU SEE, NOW, THAT YOUR RACE IS DOOMED?**

He had had no doubt of this. Humanity had stuck its finger in a hornet's nest. His own father had brought this upon the species, in his selfish desire for vengeance.

**YOUR SELF-SACRIFICE WAS, DOUBTLESS, NOBLE BY THE STANDARDS OF YOUR KIND, BUT ULTIMATELY IRRELEVANT**

There, Shub-Niggurath was mistaken. Yes, he could now feel the minds of every person on Earth. Taste their joys, their pain. Their fear. But Rei, Asuka, Shogoki, even his own mother, had given him a gift that now could be used to his own advantage.

**YOU CANNOT SAVE THEM**

Could it be that Shub-Niggurath was not all-knowing?

**MY EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE VASTLY OUTWEIGHS YOUR OWN**

Yes, most certainly. After all, he was only fifteen, and only Shub-Niggurath knew how old Shub-Niggurath was. But he knew one thing that Shub-Niggurath did not. Just a small thing. But it was there.

He knew about fear.

**I FEAR NOTHING**

That was his point.

The Old Ones were vastly more powerful than almost anything they had encountered. They survived by being mighty. Humanity was vastly weaker than almost anything else on the planet. To survive, they had had to rely on their fear, until that fear drove them to learn things to replace it.

But the oldest and most fundamental fear of all still remained. Fear of the Old Ones. The fear that had been bred into every human who ever lived, imprinted on their genes.

That fear had been sublimated, and humans still believed in things, even in this age of science, beyond their knowledge. Things like Loki. Raiden. Ma Yuan. Nergal. Hades. Jehovah. Fear of nature. Fear of the unknown, of the unnatural. Fear of disease, of death. Fear evolved into worship. But at the core, it remained fear.

And now, across the planet, groups of humans fell into prayer. At that moment, their minds were open, and Shinji could touch them. Only a tiny percentage had the potential to Dream, mostly those with Deep One blood. But those, he drew towards him.

Shub-Niggurath fell silent, perhaps not caring what action he took at this point. He felt the pressure on his body increase, and knew that his time on this plane was at best measured in seconds.

In his mind's eye, he saw the door open, and a thousand points of will flooded through the gates. Joyfully, he cast himself into the river.

- - - - -

He was in a village.

Small houses crowded the narrow streets. Everywhere he looked, there were cats. Sitting on windowsills, standing on barrels, perched on fences. Staring at him.

He wandered through the streets and roads of the village. The houses were of a wide variety of constructions, mostly old. In the sky above, he could see two moons.

He turned a corner, and saw them.

Asuka. A haughty smile, offset by the haunted look in her eyes.

Misato. Confident, steadfast, and obviously bewildered.

His mother. A warm smile of welcome on her face.

And Rei.

She stepped up to him, the mask cast aside, and reached for his hands.

* * *


End file.
